Helianthus verticillatus Small. Common name: Whorled Sunflower. Phenology: Aug-Oct. Habitat: Seasonally wet to moist calcareous prairies. Distribution: Nw. GA, ne. AL, w. TN, and n. MS; disjunct in sw. VA (where uncertainly native; Virginia Botanical Associates 2023). The species has become a bit popular (niche market) as an ornamental and may be expected to be encountered outside its (admittedly poorly understood) native range.
Origin/Endemic status: Endemic
Taxonomy Comments: This taxon is a species, not a hybrid; its morphological characteristics alone (with its unique whorled leaves) make the hybrid status suggested by Cronquist (1980) ("a hybrid of H. angustifolius with either H. eggertii or H. grosseserratus") implausible. See Matthews et al. (2002) for additional information. Moore, Siniscalchi, & Mandel (2021) analyzed the genetic diversity of the species.
Synonymy ⓘ: = FNA21, K4, S, Tn; = Helianthus ×verticillatus E.Watson (pro sp.) — C, SE1; = n/a — F. Basionym: Helianthus verticillatus Small 1898
Links to other floras: = Helianthus verticillatus - FNA21
Show parent genus | Show parent in key(s)
Wetland Indicator Status:
- Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain: OBL
- Eastern Mountains and Piedmont: OBL
Heliophily ⓘ: 9
Hover over a shape, letter, icon, or arrow on the map for definition or see the legend.
© Alan Cressler: Helianthus verticillatus, Wet Prairie, Coosa Prairies Area, Floyd County, Georgia 2 by Alan Cressler source | Original Image ⭷
© Alan Cressler: Helianthus verticillatus, Wet Prairie, Coosa Prairies Area, Floyd County, Georgia 1 by Alan Cressler source | Original Image ⭷
© Richard & Teresa Ware CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG | Original Image ⭷
© Richard & Teresa Ware CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG | Original Image ⭷
© Richard & Teresa Ware CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG | Original Image ⭷
© Alan Cressler: Helianthus verticillatus, Wet Prairie, Coosa Valley Prairies, Floyd County, Georgia 2 by Alan Cressler source | Original Image ⭷
© Alan Cressler: Helianthus verticillatus, Wet Prairie, Coosa Valley Prairies, Floyd County, Georgia 4 by Alan Cressler source | Original Image ⭷Feedback
See something wrong or missing on about Helianthus verticillatus? Let us know here: (Please include your name and email if at all complicated so we can clarify if needed.) We greatly appreciate feedback, and will include updates from you in our next webapp update, which can take a few months. If a species is not keyed, that's because keying is ongoing. Please don't send us feedback about unkeyed species.
Horticultural Information
Intro:
Stems:
Leaves:
Inforescence:
Flowers:
Fruits:
Comments:
Height:
plant sale text:
bloom table text:
description:
stems:
leaves:
inflorescence:
flowers:
fruits:
comments:
cultural notes:
germination code:
native range:
0 unsaved edits on this page.