Helianthus nuttallii (Common Tall Sunflower) - photos and description
General: Tall perennial plants. Upper stem is sparsely hairy, lower stem with stiff hairs. Stems sometimes reddish.
Flowers: Flower heads few at the end of long peduncles, have yellow central disk, and bracts which are linear and acute. We measured flower heads to 70 mm diameter.
Leaves: Top most leaves alternate, lower leaves opposite. Leaves lanceolate with short winged stalks, rough to touch top and bottom. Leaves to 15 cm long.
Height: Height listed in Budd's Flora to 300 cm. I measured plants to 150 cm tall.
Habitat: Moist meadows, slough margins, and wet roadsides.
Abundance: Common.
Origin: Native.
How to identify this species of Helianthus: Perennial, central disk yellow, leaves more or less opposite (Taxonomic Reminder for Identifying Saskatchewan Plants).
When and where photographed: Above photos were taken August 20th, edge of a hillside fen, Crooked Lake Eco Sanctuary, about 200 km east of our home in Regina, SK.