Maximilian sunflower
Helianthus maximiliani
This species is named after Prince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied, a German explorer who documented it during his scientific expedition across the American West in the 1830s.
- Scientific name
- Helianthus maximiliani
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Asterales › Asteraceae › Helianthus
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- grassland
- Habitat
- Tallgrass and mixed-grass prairies, limestone glades, pastures, and roadsides.
- Diet
- Autotrophic (photosynthesis, drawing water and minerals from soil).
- Range
- Great Plains of North America, United States, Southern Canada, Northern Mexico
- Size
- 3 to 10 feet (1 to 3 meters) tall.
- Lifespan
- Perennial (individual root systems can live for decades, regenerating annually).
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat loss due to intensive agriculture, urbanization, and widespread herbicide application.
- Safe to approach?
- This plant is entirely harmless and safe to approach. You can freely touch its rough, sandpaper-textured leaves and admire the bright yellow blooms. If foraging for its edible tubers, ensure the area has not been treated with chemical herbicides.
Helianthus maximiliani is a North American species of sunflower known by the common name Maximilian sunflower .
Photo: Tom Norton, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
Plain-text version: /species/5ef2871b-f0a3-45ca-aeb5-a405349f023b.md