Common Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.)
↑Range - Expand
Legend | Color |
Native | |
Expanded | |
Native or Not Present | |
Native or Expanded | |
Expanded or Not Present |
This tentative map is based on our own research. It may have limited data on Canada and/or Mexico, and there is some subjectivity in our assignment of plants as introduced vs. expanded. Read more in this blog post.
The exact native range of this species is not known, but it is widely agreed to be native to western North America, and to have expanded eastward. Native Americans probably brought it eastward somewhat, through using it as a food source, and then it expanded even more after European colonization. It thrives in active and abandoned cropland, roadsides and railroads, pastures, waste ground and construction sites. We mark the entire new range Expanded because it is largely connected and contiguous with the native range, separated only by small gaps of a few counties, even in the sparser parts of its range.
↑Links & External Resources
• Helianthus annuus (Annual Sunflower) | Illinois Wildflowers (About This Site)
• Helianthus annuus (common sunflower) | USDA PLANTS Database (About This Site)
• Helianthus annuus | Go Botany (About This Site)
• Helianthus annuus (Common Sunflower) | Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder (About This Site)
• Helianthus annuus (sunflower) | CABI Invasive Species Compendium (About This Site)
• Helianthus annuus | Biota of North America Project (BONAP) (About This Site)
• Helianthus annuus | NatureServe Explorer (About This Site)
• Helianthus annuus | Flora of North America (About This Site)
• Helianthus annuus | Missouri Plants (About This Site)
• Common Sunflower | Maryland Biodiversity Project (About This Site)
• Helianthus annuus (Common Sunflower) | Minnesota Wildflowers (About This Site)
• Helianthus annuus L. (Common Sunflower) | Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora (About This Site)