Swamp sunflower

Scientific Name:  Helianthus angustifolius
Common Name:  Swamp sunflower

Morphological Characteristics:

Habit- native warm season perennial forb reaching 3 to 6 ft tall; flowers in early fall; reproduces by seed and sprigs
Leaves- slender, alternate, simple, covered in short, stiff hairs creating a very rough texture, almost fleshy to the touch
Flowers- many, radiate, bright yellow, 3-7 cm in diameter, 10-13 rays, dark purple disks in center
Fruit- achenes, 3-4 mm long, flattened, dull black, mottled with tan
Other- stems slender, rough pubescent, branched at top of plant with each branch ending in a flower
Habitat and Range- throughout east Texas and Louisiana in low, disturbed sites, open flat woods, and some upland areas, its range extends through out much of the eastern half of the United States, north to New York

Conservation Use:

Why collect this plant? Texas Plant Materials Centers have identified this plant as having potential benefits to the following conservation practice standards: 645 Upland Wildlife Habitat Management; 342 Critical Area Planting; 562 Recreation Area Improvement; 550 Range Planting. Your assistance in collecting this plant helps support the NRCS conservation practice standards which are employed daily to conserve the natural resources of Texas!

Centers Requesting Seed:

East Texas Plant Materials Center

How to Collect Seed:

1. Identify native plant stands in your area. You can go to the following websites for helpful photos http://plants.usda.gov or http://www.noble.org/webapps/plantimagegallery/ or www.wildflower.org
2. Determine if seed is mature. Mature seed is typically dry and will easily separate from the seed head.
3. Hand strip mature seed by grasping the bottom of the seed head then gently pulling away from the base of the plant. Deposit seed in a brown paper sack. Collect seed from a minimum of 30 to 50 plants.
4. Label each collection as it is made so collections do not get mixed up. Information required includes: Collector’s name, number of plants collected, location (parish, city, highway, and GPS coordinates), site description (soil type, slope, and plants growing in association).
5. Complete NRCS-ECS-580; Plant Collection Information Form and mail with collected seeds to the NRCS Plant Materials Center requesting the species.

Refer to the Plant Material Collection Guide for more information on making plant collections.

For More Information

USDA-NRCS
East Texas Plant Materials Center
6598 FM 2782
Nacogdoches, TX 75964

Helpful Tips:

Look for vigorous, superior plants that display differences in color, height, and/or forage abundance and record observations. Differences in growing site or location should be made into separate collections if they are more than one mile apart.

Photos:

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NRCS Species for Plant Collections 2008 - Swamp sunflower  (PDF; 119 Kb)