Description: This native perennial plant is 3-5' tall, branching occasionally and becoming rather bushy in open situations. The light green stems have scattered white hairs and are rather angular. The opposite leaves are up to 5" long and 3½" across, ovate to broadly ovate in shape, and coarsely serrated along the margins. They are usually dark green and have a rough texture.
The daisy-like composite flowers are
2-3½" across. They are usually held erect and occur individually at the
ends of flowering stems. The ray florets are light to golden yellow, while
central disk florets are a slightly darker shade of yellow and form a flattened
cone. Both the ray and disk florets are fertile, and can form viable seeds.
There are no tufts of hair attached to the seeds. The blooming period occurs
from early to late summer and lasts about 2½ months. There is no
noticeable scent to the flowers. The root system is fibrous.
Cultivation: The preference is full or partial sun,
and moist to slightly dry loamy soil, although rocky ground and clay are
tolerated. This plant is easy to grow, and tolerates more shade than most
prairie wildflowers. It is quick to develop, but is not thought to be
particularly long-lived.
Range &
Habitat: The False Sunflower occurs throughout Illinois, except for
a few southern counties (see
Distribution
Map). It is a fairly common plant, favoring disturbed areas. Habitats
include mesic black soil prairies, open woodlands and woodland borders,
thickets, limestone glades, and areas along railroads. It is often grown in
flower gardens, and sometimes escapes to neighboring waste areas. This plant is
usually found not far from woodland areas, rather than in the open
prairie.
Faunal Associations: The
nectar and pollen of the flowers attract their fair share of insects, including
long-tongued bees, Halictine bees, bee flies, butterflies, Chauliognathus
pennsylvanicus (Goldenrod Soldier Beetle), and other insects. The caterpillars of Papaipoma rigida (Rigid Sunflower
Borer Moth) sometimes bore through the stems.
Photographic Location: The photographs were taken at
Kaufman Lake Park in Champaign, Illinois, near some trees.
Comments: This plant is desirable chiefly because of
its long blooming season during the summer, and its ease of cultivation. It's
possible to confuse the False Sunflower with one of the woodland sunflowers,
but the former can be distinguished by its fertile and more numerous ray
florets, rather broad and distinctively veined leaves, earlier blooming period,
and the greater tendency of the flowers to be held erect on the plant,
resembling yellow Zinnias.