Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Campanulids: Asterales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (2/10/25):
Helianthus smithiorum
FAMILY
Asteraceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Read more about Smith's Sunflower at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
It has small heads (like H. microcephalus, H. laevigatus, H. schweinitzii), the leaves narrowly lanceolate and subsessile (like H. schweinitzii or H. laevigatus), the leaves resin-dotted below (like H. microcephalus), but nearly glabrous. It may be a hybrid derivative of H. microcephalus and H. strumosus, per Weakley's Flora (2022).
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Helianthus smithii
FAMILY
Asteraceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH (CORRECTIBLE ERROR) Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Helianthus smithii
SYNONYMOUS WITH (CORRECTIBLE ERROR) Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 19-20-21 (2006)
Helianthus smithii
INCLUDED WITHIN Vascular Flora of the Southeastern States (Cronquist 1980, Isely 1990)
Helianthus microcephalus
COMMON NAME:
Smith's Sunflower
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
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JK Marlow jkm110415_536
April Carroll County GA
Leaves resin-dotted below, subsessile, linear-lanceolate, w only 1 main vein, per Weakley's Flora (2020).
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WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (2/10/25):
Helianthus smithiorum
FAMILY
Asteraceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Helianthus smithii
FAMILY
Asteraceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH (CORRECTIBLE ERROR)
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Helianthus smithii
SYNONYMOUS WITH (CORRECTIBLE ERROR)
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 19-20-21
Helianthus smithii
INCLUDED WITHIN
Vascular Flora of the Southeastern States (Cronquist 1980, Isely 1990)
Helianthus microcephalus
3515
Forb
Perennial
Habitat: Dry forests and woodlands, per Weakley's Flora
Native to North Carolina & Georgia
Rare
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Simple
Opposite or alternate
FLOWER:
Summer/Fall
Rays: Yellow
Disc: Yellow
Inferior ovary
Disc flowers bisexual & fertile/ Ray flowers pistillate but sterile
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Achene
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".