COMMON SUNFLOWER
Common Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) has been known in cultivation for many years but is considered native from Minnesota to Texas and Mexico. It is the state flower of Kansas. The stout, erect stems are widely branched above the base and are very sticky, 2-10 feet high. The flower heads, 3-6 inches broad, have many yellow ray flowers about an inch long and numerous tubular disk flowers. It is grown commercially for its fiber and seeds. The seeds make an excellent food for poultry and furnish an oil used in making soap, candles, and salad dressing.
Two other sunflowers are widely distributed in the state. The orange sunflower (Helianthus cucumerifolius) grows in the sandy post oak belt, and the blue-weed (Helianthus ciliaris) is very abundant in West Texas. The latter is a low, branching perennial which is poisonous to sheep.
TEXAS COREOPSIS GOLDEN WAVE CALLIOPSIS
Texas Coreopsis (Coreopsis nuecensis) was first described from plants found on the lower part of the Nueces River. It is quite widespread on the southern coastal prairie from March to May. It may be distinguished from other annual species of coreopsis by the circle of reddish-brown marks near the base of the yellow rays. The leaves are mostly basal and long-stalked.
Golden Wave. Drummond’s Coreopsis (Coreopsis drummondii) has showy, long-stalked heads, about 2 in. broad. They are borne on widely branched plants about a foot high. The leaves are divided into broad segments, and both leaves and stems have scattered soft hairs. It is very abundant on sandy coastal prairies in April and May and is well known in cultivation.
Calliopsis. Prairie Coreopsis (Coreopsis cardaminefolia) is a late-blooming annual plant, the flowers appearing in North Texas about the middle of June. It ranges from Kansas to Mexico and Louisiana. This plant greatly resembles the golden coreopsis (Coreopsis tinctoria), which is abundant on the coastal prairies in March and April. “Coreopsis” is derived from the Greek, meaning “bug-like,” and refers to the seed. The plants are often called tickseeds.
