Dig into Plants: False Sunflower

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False Sunflower

Other Common Names: Smooth Oxeye, Oxeye Sunflower, Eastern Oxeye, Eastern Sunflower Everlasting, Early Sunflower, Smooth Sunflower, Oxeye Daisy

Scientific Name: Heliopsis helianthoides

Native to Alabama: Yes

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Basic Plant Information

I am a vascular plant with no woody stems above ground, so I am herbaceous.
I do not keep leaves year-round, so I am deciduous.
I die back in winter but regrow in spring for many seasons, so I am perennial.
I can grow 3 – 6 feet high and up to 4 feet wide.

Ecological Benefits

This plant provides food for:

Butterflies

Other Pollinators

Native Bees

Hummingbirds

Other Birds

Maintenance Notes

Dormant in winter.
Flowers can be cut for an indoor vase.
Plant stems may be cut back by 1/3 to 1/2 in late May to reduce overall plant height. Taller plants may need staking or other support.
Leave standing dead flowers into the winter as natural bird feeders.
Some susceptibility to aphids.
May spread widely and has the tendency to become weedy in landscape settings.
When watering, hold hose to base of plant for a count of 5 seconds. Water should reach all roots.
Avoid sprinkling water on the leaves.
Requires average amount of water.

Average watering: water two times per week during the summer and once per week during the rest of the year.

Habitat Requirements

This plant prefers:

Full Sun
(6+ hours of sun per day)

Part Sun/ Shade
(2-6 hours of sun per day)

Prefers average watering

Well-drained, Sandy, Loamy, Clay, or Moist Soil

Leaf, Flower & Seed Identification

LEAF DESCRIPTION

Light to dark green; pointed; up to 4.5 inches long and 3 inches wide; sandpaper-like surface; hairy stem

Leaf Characteristics Chart (PDF)


Shape: Linear	Margin: Entire/Smooth

Arrangement: Opposite	Form: Simple

FLOWER DESCRIPTION

Resembles daisy; yellow flower heads are 2-3 inches wide and are made of 7-20 yellow-orange ray florets (narrow, petal-like, infertile florets that surround the disk) and yellow disc florets (tubular, fertile florets that forms disk) that form a spiny central cone; unlike true sunflowers, rays of the false sunflower persist on the flower heads while the rays of true sunflowers wither and fall away.

Flower Shape Chart (JPG)


Color: Yellow/ Gold/ Copper/ Orange	Shape: Radiate/Ligulate	Bloom Months: May-Oct


Color: Yellow/ Gold/ Copper/ Orange	Shape: Radiate/Ligulate
Bloom Months: May-Oct

SEED DESCRIPTION

Plant spreads by:
Seeds
Clump-forming; will self-seed if not deadheaded before dispersal


Type: Fruit - Dry Seed Pod	Description: Fruit is often incorrectly referred to as an achene, but it is a cypsela; seed is small and dark, less than 1cm long	Months in Seed: Fall - Winter

Plant Life Cycle

Plant Life Cycle:

All plants start life as a seed.
The seed turns into a sprout when it grows roots.
The sprout becomes a seedling as grows a stem and leaves above the ground.
After the seedling becomes an adult plant it will grow flowers.
After the flowers finish blooming, each flower turns into a seed.
When the seeds fall down to the ground, the plant life cycle starts again.
Each seed can become a plant if it has the food, water and space that it needs to grow.

General Plant Life Cycle – Dreamstime

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS

Quick Fact Sheet
(Condensed Species Info)

Plant ID Sign (Text Only):
Ready as-is PDF

Plant ID Sign (With Picture):
Ready as-is PDF

QR Code
(Links to this Webpage)

Plant ID Sign (Text Only):
Editable Word Doc

Plant ID Sign (With Picture):
Editable Word Doc

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