Illinois Natural History Survey - University of Illinois

Helianthus pauciflorus
Prairie sun?ower, Stiff sunflower
Taxonomy

Synonyms: Helianthus rigidus, Helianthus pauciflorus var. subrhomboideus, Helianthus subrhomboideus, Helianthus rigidus ssp. laetiflorus, Helianthus rigidus ssp. subrhomboideus, Helianthus laetiflorus var. rigidus, Helianthus laetiflorus var. subrhomboideus

Subspecific taxa:

Classification:

Other taxonomic & nomenclature sources: USDA Plants;  ITIS;  The Plant List;  IPNI

Images

   
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Species Distribution
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More about map & occurrence records

County Map Legend
Absent:
Not known from county
Medium confidence:
Medium or unknown confidence;
often old records or unverifiable observations
Medium-high confidence:
Often observations by expert botanists
High confidence:
Often vouchered herbarium records
Planted / introduced:
Native species introduced outside historic range,
or only in planted locations within county (e.g., restorations)
Historic / extirpated:
Only historic records for the species; likely extirpated
(Note that this category is not yet functional)

North American distribution maps for this species: FLNA;  USDA Plants;  BONAP;  BISON

Collections, Observations & Flowering by Month [?]

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M
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A
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M
0
J
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J
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A
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O
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N
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Collections & Observations by Decade [?]

Species Status

Status/Listing: No Information

Notes:

Origin: Native

Species Description

General: Dicot-herb, perennial

Roots: adventitious, rhizomes

Shoots: alternate, opposite leaf arrangment; simple leaf type; Pinnate leaf venation

Inflorescence: head

Flowers: perfect; complete, regular, irregular; yellow; epigynous ovary position

Fruit: achene

Physiology: autotrophic; C3 C02 fixation

Reproduction: sexual, vegetative

Ecology & Natural History

Habitat: Species is common throughout the glaciated prairie region.

ILPIN Notes: This is assumed to be the typical variety. PIN has Helianthus rigidus var. rigidus and var. subrhomboideus. H. rigidus often hybridizes with H. tuberosus L. Disk florets perfect and fertile; ray florets sterile. Seeds useful in bread, oil, and coffee substitute. Leaves long - tapering and pointed at the tip; leaves of stem gradually tapering to a short petiole or nearly stalkless; upper leaves may be alternate. Involucral bracts mostly tapering to an acute tip. Forms dense colonies from creeping underground rootstocks. Rodgers, C.E., T.E. Thompson, and G.J. Seiler. 1982. Sunflower species of the United States. National Sunflower Association, Bismark, N.D. 75 pp.

Functional Relationships:

  • Pollinators: insect
  • Dispersal:
  • Mycorrhizae:
  • N2 fixation:

Human Relationships:

  • Edibility [?] :
  • Showy Flowers:

Wildlife and Livestock Information:

  • Food Value:
  • Cover Value:

Coefficient of Conservatism (C-value) [?] :

  • Entire State: 6
  • Chicago Area:

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