About
Schweinitz's sunflower is a federally endangered perennial of Piedmont prairie remnants in North and South Carolina, one of the rarest US sunflowers.
Care at a glance
- Pet safety
- Not recorded. We have no source on whether this plant is safe for cats, dogs or other pets — that is not the same as safe. Keep it out of reach until you have checked.
- People
- Not recorded.
- Light
- Full sun, as in its prairie habitat.
- Propagation
- Seed or stem cuttings. General guidance for the genus
“General guidance for the genus” marks advice sourced for the genus as a whole rather than this species.
Field notes
Morphology
Usually about 2 m tall (1–5 m), with solitary purple stems branching above the middle and thick, stiff, drooping narrow leaves. It forms underground tubers and rhizomes and flowers for 2–3 weeks in early October, with 3–6 yellow heads.
Distribution & habitat
Piedmont of North and South Carolina, today mostly on roadsides and utility rights-of-way that mimic Piedmont prairie, on shallow, poor clay or rocky soils.
Cultivation notes
Growing it requires conditions like its prairie habitat, including full sun; cultivation is limited by its protected status.
History & etymology
First mentioned by Torrey and Gray in 1842 and named for Lewis David von Schweinitz, the Salem, North Carolina clergyman-botanist who found it.
Conservation
Listed as endangered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service on 7 May 1991. About 90 populations are known, many with fewer than 40 plants.
Habitat
- Altitude
- Not recorded
- Altitude class
- —
- Native to
- United States
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- Not recorded
Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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