Helianthus atrorubens
Native Southeastern U.S. perennial in the aster family, it grows 3–5 ft tall with hairy lower stems and lanceolate leaves, produces mid-to-late-summer flowerheads up to 2 inches wide with yellow ray florets surrounding a red- to purple-centered disc, and attracts bees and butterflies while providing seeds for birds and small mammals.
Common Names
Appalachian Sunflower, Purple Disk Sunflower, Dark-eyed Sunflower, Hairy Wood Sunflower
Summary
Purpledisk Sunflower (Helianthus atrorubens) is a perennial native to the Southeastern United States. It is a vigorously spreading herbaceous plant that typically grows 3–5 feet tall, with erect stems and mostly basal opposite leaves that are lanceolate to ovate and rough in texture. Its flower heads carry yellow ray florets surrounding a dark center disk, blooming from midsummer into fall, and it occurs in dry woodlands, woodland edges, and along roadsides. It attracts bees and butterflies and serves as a larval host for the Silvery Checkerspot butterfly, while seeds are eaten by birds.
In cultivation, it prefers full sun to partial shade with average, well-drained soil, tolerates drought once established, and can be propagated by seed or division, with plants spaced up to 3 feet apart. It is hardy in zones 6–8 and valued for wildlife benefits, including nectar and pollen for pollinators, larval hosting for butterflies, and seed for birds, making it suitable for native plant gardens, wildlife meadows, and woodland edge plantings.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
36-60 inches
Spread
5-8 feet
Hardiness Zones
Zones 6a-8b
Sunlight Requirements
Ideally Full Sun to Partial Sun, Partial Shade.
Soil Type
Well-drained, humus-rich soil, preferably loamy or sandy with moderate moisture
Soil Drainage
Well-drained soil
Soil pH
Neutral to alkaline soil
Bloom Color
Yellow
Bloom Time
Summer and Fall
Foliage Color
Green
Fall Foliage Color
Green
Leaf Lifecycle
Deciduous
Growth Rate
Rapid
Seasons of Interest
Summer and Fall
Propagation Methods
Seeds, Division
Attracts Wildlife
Bees, Butterflies, Other pollinators, Birds
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- L.
- Publication
- Sp. Pl. : 906 (1753)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Asterales
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Subfamily
- Asteroideae
- Tribe
- Heliantheae
- Subtribe
- Helianthinae
- Genus
- Helianthus
Inferior Taxa
Helianthus atrorubens subsp. radula
Synonyms
Helianthus sparsifolius Helianthus atrorubens var. alsodes Discomela sparsiflorus Helianthus atrorubens subsp. atrorubens Discomela atrorubens