Dig into Plants: Narrowleaf Sunflower

Narrowleaf Sunflower Other Common Names: Swamp Sunflower, Narrow-leaved Sunflower Scientific Name: Helianthus angustifolius Native to Alabama: Yes Alternate Native Species: Hairy Sunflower (Helianthus hirsutus)
	Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Sally and Andy Wasowski Click on image to enlarge it

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Basic Plant Information
	I am a vascular plant with no woody stems above ground, so I am herbaceous. I do not keep leaves year-round, so I am deciduous. I die back in winter but regrow in spring for many seasons, so I am perennial. I can grow 3 - 6 feet high and up to 4 feet wide.
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Stephanie Brundage Click on image to enlarge it

Ecological Benefits


This plant provides food for:


Butterflies	Caterpillars Silvery Checkerspot	Native Bees	Other Birds

Other Plants Found in Alabama with Similar Ecological Benefits:
Common Sunflower (Helianthus annuus)	Purpledisk Sunflower (Helianthus atrorubens)	Thinleaf Sunflower (Helianthus decapetalus)


Beach Sunflower (Helianthus debilis)	Woodland Sunflower (Helianthus divaricatus)	Hairy Sunflower (Helianthus hirsutus)


Maximilian Sunflower (Helianthus maximiliani)	Ashy Sunflower (Helianthus mollis)	Resindot Sunflower (Helianthus resinosus)


Paleleaf Woodland Sunflower (Helianthus strumosus)	Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus)	Whorled Sunflower (Helianthus verticillatus)

Maintenance Notes
Dormant in winter. Flowers can be cut for an indoor vase. In late spring or early summer, stems can be pinched back to encourage shorter, bushier growth and more blooms. Leave standing dead flowers into the winter as natural bird feeders. When watering, hold hose to base of plant for a count of 5 seconds. Water should reach all roots.
Avoid sprinkling water on the leaves. Requires moist to wet soil at all times.
Moist to wet soil at all times: water three times per week.

Habitat Requirements

This plant prefers:
Full Sun (6+ hours of sun per day) Part Sun/ Shade (2-6 hours of sun per day)	Prefers moist to wet soil at all times	Sandy, Loamy, Clay, Acidic or Moist Soil

Leaf, Flower & Seed Identification

LEAF DESCRIPTION				USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database Robert H. Mohlenbrock Click on image to enlarge it
Leaf Characteristics Chart (PDF)

Shape: Linear	Margin: Entire/Smooth	Arrangement: Opposite	Form: Simple


Description:
Dark green; pointed; ½ inch wide and can be over 8 inch long; opposite near the base, alternate above the middle of the stem; sandpaper-like surface


FLOWER DESCRIPTION			Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Alan Cressler Click on image to enlarge it
Flower Shapes Chart (JPG)

Color: Yellow	Shape: Radiate/Ligulate	Bloom Months: Oct

Description:
Ray florets (narrow, petal-like, infertile florets that surround the disk) and disk florets (tubular, fertile florets that forms disk) form 2-3 inch heads; tiny, reddish brown disk florets in the center surrounded by strap-shaped, yellow ray florets


SEED DESCRIPTION			USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database Steve Hurst Click on image to enlarge it

Type: Fruit - Dry Seed Pod	Description: Seed is small, brown, flat, and longer than wide	Months in Seed: Fall

Plant spreads by:
Seeds and Rhizomes/ Tubers/ Roots & Shoots Clump-forming; typically slow-spreading, but in ideal conditions can become weedy by spreading underground rhizomes

Plant Life Cycle
Plant Life Cycle: All plants start life as a seed. The seed turns into a sprout when it grows roots. The sprout becomes a seedling as grows a stem and leaves above the ground. After the seedling becomes an adult plant it will grow flowers. After the flowers finish blooming, each flower turns into a seed. When the seeds fall down to the ground, the plant life cycle starts again. Each seed can become a plant if it has the food, water and space that it needs to grow.
	General Plant Life Cycle - Dreamstime Click on image to enlarge it

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS

Quick Fact Sheet
(Condensed Species Info)

Plant ID Sign:
Ready as-is PDF

Plant ID Sign:
Editable Word Doc

QR Code
(Links to this Webpage)

INFORMATION SOURCES FOR THIS PLANT

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center's Plant Database		USDA Plants Database
Alabama Plant Atlas		Clemson College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences
North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox		Florida Native Plant Society

Alabama Outdoor Classroom Conservation Education Programs