Helianthus occidentalis – Few-leaf Sunflower – 1.25-Quart

A distinctive look for a sunflower – the flowers appear on a scape with few leaves that arises from a clump of basal foliage, hence the common name. The species stronghold is the upper Midwest – Michigan, Wisconsin and northern Illinois and Indiana – where it’s found in glades, prairies, dry meadows, fields and rocky open woods. Our plants are from an Eastern outlier population along the Greenbriar River in West Virginia. They are shorter than plants from the midwest and were formerly designated H. dowellianus. That name is no longer considered valid by botanists, but it’s still useful for horticulturists as it indicates a more compact form. Spreads by runners, but not as aggressively as most species of sunflower.