Yellow flowers of Helianthus mollis
    Yellow flowers of Helianthus mollis

    Ashy sunflower


    Helianthus mollis

    Helianthus mollis is my favorite of all the sunflowers on Ozarkedge. I watch the plants emerge each spring and eagerly await their summer blooms. Clumped together in a large colony, with many flowers blooming at once, they look like a huge summer bouquet. Sunflowers are often described with adjectives such as joyful and happy. They seem to represent the best of our hopes and dreams for summer. These sunflowers, in particular, represent that to me.


    1. NAME
    2. BLOOM
    3. POLLINATORS
    4. DESCRIPTION
    5. PLANTS GROWING NEARBY
    6. HABITAT
    7. CONSERVATION STATUS
    8. INTERESTING TIDBITS
    1. NAME
    2. BLOOM
    3. POLLINATORS
    4. DESCRIPTION
    5. PLANTS GROWING NEARBY
    6. HABITAT
    7. CONSERVATION STATUS
    8. INTERESTING TIDBITS

    PLANT NAME

    Sunflowers (Helianthus) are grouped under the Asteraceae family. There are many native and cultivated sunflowers within Helianthus genus. The name Helianthus is derived from the Latin “helios” (sun) and “anthos” (flower). The Latin meaning of “mollis” is soft. So, Helianthus mollis has a common name of Soft sunflower. It is also known as Ashy or Downy sunflower because of its distinct sage green foliage and downy stems.


    1. NAME
    2. BLOOM
    3. POLLINATORS
    4. DESCRIPTION
    5. PLANTS GROWING NEARBY
    6. HABITAT
    7. CONSERVATION STATUS
    8. INTERESTING TIDBITS

    BLOOM

    The opening flower bud is as lovely as the flower. The clasping ray florets are soft yellow and surrounded by the fuzzy green bracts.

  • Bud with fuzzy green bracts
    Bud with fuzzy green bracts
  • Close look at bud
    Close look at bud
  • Soft yellow petals (ray flowers) provide a beautiful contrast with the gray-green leaves of Helianthus mollis. The ray flowers are sterile. The fertile part of the flower are the disk florets. There are 15-30 florets located in the central disk. They are initially green and gradually turn yellow beginning with the outermost florets. Each disk floret develops a corolla tube with 5 protruding stamens with dark anthers.

  • Ray and disc flowers
    Ray and disc flowers
  • Close look at disk flowers
    Close look at disk flowers

    1. NAME
    2. BLOOM
    3. POLLINATORS
    4. DESCRIPTION
    5. PLANTS GROWING NEARBY
    6. HABITAT
    7. CONSERVATION STATUS
    8. INTERESTING TIDBITS

    DESCRIPTION

    This pretty sunflower is ranges from 2.5 to 5 feet tall at maturity. The height varies year to year depending on rainfall, heat and other factors. It's easy to distinguish Helianthus mollis from its sunflower relatives by noting the gray-green foliage covered with a profusion of fine hairs. The early spring growth is particularly beautiful as the young leaves look like they're covered with soft white fur.

    At maturity, the leaves become stiff and rough to the touch. The hirsute stem remains unbranched until dividing into a few flowering stalks near the top of the plant. The broad, lanceolate leaves are opposite and measure approximately 4″ in length and 2.5 ” in width. They are sessile (without stalks) and may clasp the stem. Dense hairs cover both sides of the leaves, hence the common name, Downy sunflower. The leaves tend to develop rusty spots post maturity and quickly turn black if bruised or dried.

  • 'Furry' leaves, stem and buds
    'Furry' leaves, stem and buds
  • Downy foliage of spring leaves
    Downy foliage of spring leaves
  • Close look at fuzzy spring leaf
    Close look at fuzzy spring leaf
  • Rough, clasping mature leaves
    Rough, clasping mature leaves
  • Leaves with rusty spots post maturity
    Leaves with rusty spots post maturity
  • Brown, ripe seed
    Brown, ripe seed

    1. NAME
    2. BLOOM
    3. POLLINATORS
    4. DESCRIPTION
    5. PLANTS GROWING NEARBY
    6. HABITAT
    7. CONSERVATION STATUS
    8. INTERESTING TIDBITS

    POLLINATORS

    Helianthus mollis is pollinated primarily by various types of bees, such as Bumble bees, Metallic green sweat bees, Longhorn bees, Leafcutter bees and others. Other pollinators include Soldier beetles and bee flies. Butterflies visit the flowers for nectar and may aid in pollination.

  • Oblique Longhorn bee
    Oblique Longhorn bee
  • Leafcutter bee
    Leafcutter bee

    1. NAME
    2. BLOOM
    3. POLLINATORS
    4. DESCRIPTION
    5. PLANTS GROWING NEARBY
    6. HABITAT
    7. CONSERVATION STATUS
    8. INTERESTING TIDBITS

    PLANTS GROWING NEARBY

    • Passiflora incarnata
      Passiflora incarnata
    • Rudbeckia hirta
      Rudbeckia hirta
    • Asclepias tuberosa
      Asclepias tuberosa
    • Ratibida pinnata
      Ratibida pinnata
    • Echinacea purpurea
      Echinacea purpurea
    • Mimosa quadrivalvis
      Mimosa quadrivalvis
    • Hypericum punctatum
      Hypericum punctatum
    • Eryngium yuccifolium
      Eryngium yuccifolium
    • Sabatia angularis
      Sabatia angularis
    • Rudbeckia grandiflora
      Rudbeckia grandiflora
    • Liatris pycnostachya
      Liatris pycnostachya

    Ashy sunflower tends to grow in colonies. It releases an allelopathic substance that can deter other plants from growing nearby. This doesn't seem to affect Liatris pycnostachya (Prairie Blazing Star) and Eryngium yuccifolium (Rattlesnake master). I find them growing alongside Helianthus mollis frequently and they are charming together. Occasionally I find Ratibida pinnata (Gray-headed coneflower) growing in close proximity. Another companion plant is Canada Wild Rye. It's a beautiful native grass and makes a striking combination with Ashy sunflower.

  • Helianthus mollis with Liatris pycnostachya
    With Liatris pycnostachya
  • Helianthis mollis with Eryngium yuccilfoium
    With Eryngium yuccifolium
  • Helianthus mollis with Ratibida pinnata
    With Ratibida pinnata
  • Ashy sunflower with Canada Wild Rye
    With Canada Wild Rye

    1. NAME
    2. BLOOM
    3. POLLINATORS
    4. DESCRIPTION
    5. PLANTS GROWING NEARBY
    6. HABITAT
    7. CONSERVATION STATUS
    8. INTERESTING TIDBITS

    HABITAT

    Here in northern Arkansas, I find Ashy sunflower most commonly in grassland or prairie habitat. I also see it where glade and grassland meet and occasionally at the woodland edge. While it can take full sun, I find it does better with some afternoon shade. Some years we have summer heat coupled with extensive dry periods. When this happens, flower buds bend downward, lower leaves blacken and flowering is diminished. But in years with adequate rain, Ashy sunflower is a spectacle to behold!

  • Blackened foliage in year of drought
    Blackened foliage in year of drought
  • Nodding flower during drought
    Nodding flower during drought
  • Single bright yellow flower
    Single bright yellow flower
  • Flowering beautifully in grassland
    Flowering beautifully in grassland
  • Ashy sunflower colony in grassland
    Ashy sunflower colony in grassland
  • Flowering at woodland edge
    Flowering at woodland edge

    1. NAME
    2. BLOOM
    3. POLLINATORS
    4. DESCRIPTION
    5. PLANTS GROWING NEARBY
    6. HABITAT
    7. CONSERVATION STATUS
    8. INTERESTING TIDBITS

    CONSERVATION STATUS
    Apparently Secure

    Helianthus mollis is native to the Midwest and Eastern states. Natureserve shows its overall status as Apparently Secure, however it is listed as Critically Imperiled in Ohio and Nebraska. It is Apparently Secure in Kansas and Alabama and Secure in Kentucky. All other states within its range show No Status Rank.


    1. NAME
    2. BLOOM
    3. POLLINATORS
    4. DESCRIPTION
    5. PLANTS GROWING NEARBY
    6. HABITAT
    7. CONSERVATION STATUS
    8. INTERESTING TIDBITS

    INTERESTING TIDBITS

    Ashy sunflower is important for wildlife. It is a host plant for the caterpillars of the Silvery checkerspot butterfly. Its seeds support many birds, including goldfinches, throughout winter.

  • S
    Silvery checkerspot butterfly
  • Goldfinches during winter snowstorm
    Goldfinches during winter snowstorm

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