Asteraceae
Daisy Family
Heliopsis helianthoides (L.) Sweet
- Stem: perennial; 2 1/2’ to 4’ tall; branching above; smooth.
- Leaves: opposite; ovate with squarish bases and sharp tips; blades 4” by 2”, on 1/2” leaf stalks, toothed margins (5-6 per inch), short-hairy above and below.
- Inflorescence: heads at the ends of long flower stalks from the stem tip and upper leaf axils.
- Heads: yellow rays 3/4” by 1/4”, heads 2” across; disk flowers yellow; fillaries widest at the middle, overlapping, short-hairy and with marginal hairs, 5/16” long; flowering from mid-June to late July; rays retained well into August.
- Fruits: “seeds” (fruits) squarish, 1/8” long, with the remains of the corolla at the upper end, no plume; only the outer flowers of the heads produce fruits; fruiting begins in late June.
- Habitat: common on upland to lowland prairies, also sometimes in open woods in eastern Iowa.
- Bibliography from Biodiversity Heritage Library
- Vascular Plants of Iowa
Can be found in these counties:
