| Family | Scientific Name | Common Name | Habitat | Distribution | Image |
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| Asteraceae | Helianthus agrestis | Southeastern Sunflower | Floodplain marshes, mucky areas in pine flatwoods. | S. GA south to s. FL. | 
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| Asteraceae | Helianthus angustifolius | Narrowleaf Sunflower | Pine savannas, ditches, marshes, other wet habitats. | Primarily Coastal Plain, from Long Island, NY south to c. peninsular FL and west to TX, irregularly inland to OH, IN, and MO. | 
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| Asteraceae | Helianthus annuus | Common Sunflower, Mirasol | Disturbed areas, often cultivated in gardens, sometimes cultivated in fields. | Native of the Plains states south into Mexico. This is the common cultivated sunflower grown for its flowers, seeds, and oil. | 
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| Asteraceae | Helianthus argophyllus | Silverleaf Sunflower | Dunes and disturbed sandy soils. | Native of s. and se. TX. Heiser et al. (1969) noted a collection from NC, but stated their uncertainty as to its establishment. H. argophyllus is well-established near Captain Charlie's on Bald Head Island, Brunswick County, where it has apparently persisted and spread over the last 50 years (at least). | 
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| Asteraceae | Helianthus atrorubens | Appalachian Sunflower | Dry soils of rocky, sandy, or clayey woodlands and roadbanks. | N. VA west to w. TN, and south to c. GA, Panhandle FL, AL, and se. LA. | 
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| Asteraceae | Helianthus carnosus | Flatwoods Sunflower | Wet pine flatwoods, wet prairies. | Endemic to ne. FL (Duval, Clay, St. Johns, Clay, Putnam, Flagler, and Volusia counties). | 
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| Asteraceae | Helianthus ciliaris | Texas Blueweed, Blueweed Sunflower | Along streams and canals. | KS west to CA, south to s. FL, NM, AZ, and Mexico (CHH, COA, DGO, NLE, SLP, SON, TAM, ZAC). | 
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| Asteraceae | Helianthus debilis ssp. cucumerifolius | Cucumber-leaf Sunflower | Sandy soils of fields and roadsides. | Native from sw. GA and FL west to c. TX. | 
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| Asteraceae | Helianthus debilis ssp. debilis | East Florida Beach Sunflower | Sandy beaches and dunes. | East side of the FL peninsula from St. Johns County south to Monroe County, FL. Disjunct (probably adventive), at Pawleys Island, Georgetown County, SC. | 
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| Asteraceae | Helianthus debilis ssp. silvestris | | Longleaf pine woodlands, other dry woodlands. | Endemic to e. TX. | 
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| Asteraceae | Helianthus debilis ssp. tardiflorus | Gulf Coast Beach Sunflower | Sandy beaches, dry pinelands. | GA, FL, AL, and MS. | 
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| Asteraceae | Helianthus debilis ssp. vestitus | West Florida Beach Sunflower | Coastal dunes. | W. coast of peninsular FL, Hernando County south to Lee County. | |
| Asteraceae | Helianthus decapetalus | Forest Sunflower | Mesic woodlands and forests, oak savannas. | ME and QC west to WI and IA, south to GA and MO. | 
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| Asteraceae | Helianthus divaricatus | Woodland Sunflower | Mesic to dry woodlands and forests, forest edges. | ME, QC, ON, and IA south to Panhandle FL, LA, and OK. | 
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| Asteraceae | Helianthus eggertii | Eggert's Sunflower, Tennessee Sunflower | Limestone and diabase barrens. | Sc. KY, c. TN, n. AL, and sc. AL (Coastal Plain); disjunct in nc. SC. | 
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| Asteraceae | Helianthus floridanus | Florida Sunflower | Wet pine savannas and pocosin edges. | A Southeastern Coastal Plain species: se. NC south to c. peninsular FL, and west to se LA. | 
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| Asteraceae | Helianthus giganteus | Tuberous Sunflower, Swamp Sunflower | Roadsides, woodland edges, bog edges, moist thickets, ditches. | NB and ME west to MN, south to n. SC, n. GA, e. and c. TN, c. KY, n. IN, n. IL, and WI. | 
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| Asteraceae | Helianthus glaucophyllus | Whiteleaf Sunflower | Moist forests, woodlands, and woodland edges, at medium elevations, mostly from 1000-1500 m (but sometimes lower), generally flowering only when in a canopy gap (as caused by a tree-fall) or along banks of narrow roads. | A narrow Southern Appalachian endemic: w. NC, nw. SC, and ne. TN (Chester, Wofford, & Kral 1997) | 
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| Asteraceae | Helianthus grosseserratus | Sawtooth Sunflower | Prairies, fens, pastures, roadsides, disturbed areas. | The original range of this species was apparently centered in OH, IN, IL, IA, and MO, but its exact extent is obscured by its subsequent spread. Reported for NC by Matthews & Mellichamp (1989). | 
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| Asteraceae | Helianthus heterophyllus | Savanna Sunflower | Wet pine savannas, seepage bogs. | A Southeastern Coastal Plain endemic: se. NC south to Panhandle FL and west to se. LA. | 
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| Asteraceae | Helianthus hirsutus | Hairy Sunflower | Woodlands and other sunny or semi-sunny habitats. | PA and MN, south to n. FL and TX. | 
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| Asteraceae | Helianthus laetiflorus | | Fields, woodland edges, disturbed areas; introduced from farther west. | Widely scattered in e. and c. North America. Perhaps a naturally hybrid-derived species in the Midwest, and introduced eastwards. | 
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| Asteraceae | Helianthus laevigatus | Shale-barren Sunflower, Smooth Sunflower | On dry, rocky or shaly soils, on roadbanks, powerline rights-of-way, open woodlands, in the Carolinas nearly limited to the Carolina Slate Belt. | The primary range of H. laevigatus is in the mountains of c. and w. VA and e. WV, from whence it is disjunct to a few areas in the Piedmont of NC and SC, most notably the Carolina Slate Belt in Montgomery and Stanly counties, NC. | 
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| Asteraceae | Helianthus longifolius | Longleaf Sunflower | Sandstone and granite glades and woodlands, loamy to xeric longleaf pine sandhills. | This species is apparently rare, occurring in ne. AL, nw. GA, south to sw. GA. | 
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| Asteraceae | Helianthus maximilianii | Maximilian Sunflower | Moist roadsides and disturbed areas. | MI and MB west to BC and south to TX and Mexico (CHH, COA, NLE); introduced in the East. | 
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| Asteraceae | Helianthus microcephalus | Small-headed Sunflower, Small Wood Sunflower | Dry woodlands and roadbanks. | PA west to MI, south to Panhandle FL and se. LA. | 
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| Asteraceae | Helianthus mollis | Ashy Sunflower, Gray Sunflower | Calcareous prairies and barrens, disturbed places. | Apparently native of the Midwest, centered in IN, IL, MO, AR, c. TN, and w. KY, its original distribution obscured by its subsequent spread. Native in nw. GA. | 
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| Asteraceae | Helianthus nuttallii ssp. nuttallii | Nuttall's Sunflower | Moist open places, ditches, roadsides. | | |
| Asteraceae | Helianthus occidentalis ssp. occidentalis | Naked-stem Sunflower | Rocky or sandy flood-scoured riversides, dry hammocks (in FL). | MD and DC west to MN, and south to w. NC, n. GA, Panhandle FL, and TX. | 
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| Asteraceae | Helianthus occidentalis ssp. plantagineus | Plantain-leaf Sunflower | Dry, open areas on sandstone outcrops and glades, Catahoula sandstone glades, Coastal Plain prairies. | Wc. AR south to w. LA and e. TX. | 
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| Asteraceae | Helianthus pauciflorus ssp. pauciflorus | Stiff Sunflower | Prairies, disturbed areas. | ON and MI west to SD and SK, south to w. KY, n. MS, and TX. Reported for VA by Fernald (1950) under the name H. laetiflorus var. rigidus and for nc. GA by Jones & Coile (1988) under the name H. rigidus. | 
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| Asteraceae | Helianthus pauciflorus ssp. subrhomboideus | Subrhomboidal Sunflower | Pastures, roadsides, and along railroads. | ON, MI. west to BC, south to IN, MO, OK, and w. TX. | 
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| Asteraceae | Helianthus petiolaris ssp. petiolaris | Plains Sunflower | Prairies, sandy open areas, eastwards in disturbed areas in sandy soil. | ON west to AB, south to TX and NM; also eastwards and westwards of that range as apparent introductions. | 
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| Asteraceae | Helianthus porteri | Confederate Daisy | In shallow soils over granite on low-elevation granite domes or flatrocks. | A Piedmont endemic: nw. SC south to GA and ec. AL | 
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| Asteraceae | Helianthus praecox ssp. praecox | Texas Sunflower, Galveston Sunflower | Sandy areas. | Endemic to se. TX. | |
| Asteraceae | Helianthus praecox ssp. runyonii | | Coastal areas and inland in dry, open, sandy sites. | S. TX. | |
| Asteraceae | Helianthus radula | Roundleaf Sunflower, Rayless Sunflower | Longleaf pine sandhills and dryish savannas, and dry pine flatwoods. | S. SC south to s. peninsular FL and west to se. LA | 
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| Asteraceae | Helianthus resinosus | Resinous Sunflower | Woodlands, thickets, roadsides. | Nc. and w. NC south to Panhandle FL and west to MS. | 
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| Asteraceae | Helianthus salicifolius | Willowleaf Sunflower | Calcareous prairies. | W. MO and e. KS south to nc. TX. | 
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| Asteraceae | Helianthus schweinitzii | Schweinitz's Sunflower | Clayey soils of woodlands and roadsides, in areas formerly with post oak-blackjack oak savannas, xeric oak-pine woodlands, or "Piedmont prairies", now primarily on mowed road or powerline rights-of-way. | Piedmont of nw. NC and nc. SC, primarily within 100 km of Charlotte, NC | 
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| Asteraceae | Helianthus silphioides | | Woodland edges. | S. KY, s. IL, and s. MO south to AL, MS, LA, and e. OK. | 
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| Asteraceae | Helianthus simulans | Muck Sunflower | Wet soils, ditches, roadsides. | Native from SC south to c. peninsular FL, FL Panhandle, and west to LA and e. TX; now spread more widely by horticultural use. | 
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| Asteraceae | Helianthus smithiorum | Smith's Sunflower | Dry forests and woodlands. | Known from n. GA, e. AL, and se. TN. | 
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| Asteraceae | Helianthus species 1 | | Endemic to the Sequatchie Valley of Marion County, TN, and Jackson County, AL, known from 3 current populations. | | |
| Asteraceae | Helianthus species 2 | Waccamaw Sunflower | Loamy pine savannas. | Endemic to the middle Coastal Plain of se. NC and e. SC. | 
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| Asteraceae | Helianthus strumosus | Roughleaf Sunflower | Woodlands and roadsides. | ME, MN, and KA south to ne. FL, Panhandle FL, and TX. | 
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| Asteraceae | Helianthus tuberosus | Jerusalem Artichoke | Native in rich bottomlands and along streams, disturbed areas, cultivated in gardens for the edible tubers. | Native distribution is unclear, perhaps OH, MI, MN, ND, and e. MT south to w. TN, LA, and TX. | 
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| Asteraceae | Helianthus verticillatus | Whorled Sunflower | Seasonally wet to moist calcareous prairies. | 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. | 
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