Family: Asteraceae

Annual 4-7’ tall with woolly, silvery leaves and stems. Yellow, sunflower flowers in the warm season. Occasionally plants will survive winter and perennialize (if not frozen). This sunflower is very worth growing, even as an annual, for its wildlife benefits and its remarkable woolly stems and foliage.

Full sun, moderate to water. Plants die with frost.

Nectar rich flowers for butterflies and bees. Finches and other granivorous birds consume the seeds. Larval food plant for the painted lady (Vanessa cardui), Milbert’s tortoiseshell (Aglais milberti), California patch (Chlosyne californica), bordered patch (Chlosyne lacinia), alfalfa looper moth (Autographa californica), White-speck Moth Mythimna unipuncta, and others.

The scientific name Helianthus argophyllus comes from the Greek words Helios, meaning "sun", and anthos, meaning "flower". The species, argophyllus, come from ancient Greek argós, “shining, glistening, white” and phyllum “leaf”, literally “whiteleaf”. There are 79 species of Helianthus. Except for three South American species, most species of Helianthus are native to North America and Central America.

Native to the coastal regions of Texas.

Photo by Joey Santore, iNaturalist