Plants of the UNF Campus
Helianthus debilis - Dune sunflower
Family Asteraceae
Description:
Over sixty species of Helianthus
are native to North and South America. The
best known is the big annual sunflower that gives us commercial sunflower seeds
and sunflower oil. Jerusalem artichoke is another relative with some commercial
value. Several Florida
native species are gaining popularity as garden plants. The dune sunflower is
native to the beaches of Florida
and the southeastern U.S.
It is a creeping perennial of well-drained soils. It is tolerant of salt spray.
Location:
See these plants along the UNF Drive Loop behind building 6.
Size:
Wide-spreading herbaceous plant to about two to three feet tall.
Care Instructions:
Light: full sun
Water: very drought tolerant
Soil: well-drained soil is essential, no other special requirements
In mild winters, beach sunflower is evergreen and has yellow flowers all year. In the low 20’s F, it may die to the ground and resprout the following year. If temperatures drop into the teens F, it must regenerate from the previous year’s seeds.
Helianthus debilis
Dune sunflower
Asteraceae
Over sixty species of Helianthus
are native to North and South America. The
best known is the big annual sunflower that gives us commercial sunflower seeds
and sunflower oil. Jerusalem artichoke is another relative with some commercial
value. Several Florida
native species are gaining popularity as garden plants. The dune sunflower is
native to the beaches of Florida
and the southeastern U.S.
It is a creeping perennial of well-drained soils. It is tolerant of salt spray.
Helianthus_debilis.jpg
See these plants along the UNF Drive Loop behind building 6.
Wide-spreading herbaceous plant to about two to three feet tall.
full sun
very drought tolerant
well-drained soil is essential, no other special requirements
In mild winters, beach sunflower is evergreen and has yellow flowers all year. In the low 20’s F, it may die to the ground and resprout the following year. If temperatures drop into the teens F, it must regenerate from the previous year’s seeds.
