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Giant Sunflower

Helianthus giganteus

Also known as: Tall Sunflower

Towering 10-ft wet-meadow sunflower with many small yellow daisies on reddish stems. Stout enough not to flop. Goldfinches strip the seed heads in fall. The tuber tastes like Jerusalem artichoke, and the seed has been dried and ground into flour mixed with cornmeal.

Family

Asteraceae

Type

wildflower

Lifespan

perennial

Height

6–10 ft

Spacing

2–4 ft apart

Light

sun

Soil moisture

moist, wet

Soil pH

acidic, neutral

Bloom

July, August, September

Bloom colors

yellow

Wildlife value

pollinators, songbirds, butterflies, larval host

Caterpillar hosts

~58 butterfly & moth species

Landscape uses

rain garden, erosion control, naturalizing

Native states

AL, DC, DE, GA, IA, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, MI, MN, MS, NC, NJ, NY, OH, PA, SC, TN, VA, WI, WV