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Woodland Sunflower

Helianthus divaricatus (hee-lee-AN-thus dy-vair-ih-KAY-tus)

Family: Asteraceae Native Herbaceous (3-15 ft)

The woodland sunflower is an erect, rhizomatous, herbaceous perennial in the daisy family (Asteraceae), native to Southeastern Canada and the north-central and eastern United States. It is typically found in rocky or sandy woodlands, dry open sites, or thickets in North Carolina. It grows from 2 to 6 feet tall and 1 to 3 feet wide, with smooth, erect, central stems, sessile or short-stalked leaves, and daisy-like flowers featuring yellow petal rays and dark yellow center disks. The specific epithet, divaricatus , is Latin, meaning "spreading in a straggling manner" and refers to the plant's spreading habit. This plant is easy to grow in full sun to partial shade and in moist to dry, well-drained soils. It is tolerant of a wide range of soil types and is drought-tolerant once established. Propagated by division and spreads by creeping rhizomes, and may aggressively form colonies. This wildflower has a light green to dark purple central stem with a whitish coating and similar upper secondary stems. The yellowish-green to medium green leaves are lanceolate-oblong or ovate-oblong with entire or toothed margins. The unique features of the woodland sunflower are that the stems are typically glaucous and non-hairy, and the petioles may be absent or less than 1/4 inch in length. Large, yellow, daisy-like flowers mature in early summer and continue into early fall. The nectar of the flowers attracts a variety of pollinators, while its seeds are a good food source for birds, squirrels, voles, gophers, and mice. Use in the native or pollinator gardens, naturalized areas, or woodland gardens. Blossoms make attractive cut flowers. Insects, Diseases, or Other Plant Problems: No significant insect or disease concerns. Some taller plants may require staking. More information on Helianthus .

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ Reconciled to full toolbox: matched by slug to slug 'helianthus-divaricatus'. Identity (id/common/scientific name) preserved from the original 87-plant Hunnicutt set; attribute data refreshed from the 63-attribute toolbox scrape.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft) Optimal soil pH Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.

No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.

Also noted by NC State

Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.

Fills a similar niche Baptisia tinctoria Helianthus angustifolius Solidago speciosa

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Herbaceous Perennial; Native Plant; Wildflower
Life cycle
Perennial
USDA zones
3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Loam (Silt); Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Occasionally Dry
Available space
12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Clumping; Erect
Texture
Coarse
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Gold/Yellow; Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf shape
Lanceolate; Oblong; Ovate
Leaf margin
Entire; Serrate
Leaf value
Showy
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
The leaves are opposite, and measure 2 to 6 inches long and 0.5 to 2 inches wide. The leaves appear along the central stem and secondary stems and are lanceolate to oblong or ovate to oblong. The margins may be entire or have widely spaced teeth. The upper surface of the leaf is yellowish-green to medium green, and the undersides appear a paler shade. The upper surface is rough with a few short, stiff hairs, and the underside has soft hairs. Its unique feature is that the leaves are sessile or have very short petioles.
Flower color
Gold/Yellow
Flower value
Good Cut; Showy
Flower form
Head
Flower shape
Radial
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
Each flower measures 1.5 to 3 inches in diameter and has 8 to 15 bright yellow petal rays and slightly darker yellow center disks of florets. The florets are less than 1/8 inch long and are tubular. Light green, overlapping bracts appear at the base of the flowerhead. Blooms mid-summer to early fall.
Bloom time
Summer
Fruit color
Black; Brown/Copper
Fruit type
Achene
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
The disk florets are followed by tiny achenes, measuring up to 2mm long. The achene is dark brown to black and is flat and oval.
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
This plant has a central stem that branches where the flowers originate. The stems are light green to purple or may sometimes have a dull coating of grayish-green. The surface of the stem is smooth, or it may have a few short, stiff hairs. The stem is slender and rounded. The secondary stems are similar.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Southeastern Canada & the North Central to Eastern United States
Distribution
Native: Canada--Ontario and Quebec; United States--AL, AR, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, IL, IN, IA, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MS, MO, NH, NJ, NY, NC, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, TN, VT, VA, WV, and WI.
Wildlife value
This is a larval host plant that supports Silvery Checkerspot (Chlosyne nycteis). The Silvery Checkerspot has at least 1-2 broods in the north from June-July in the deep south and Texas, they have as many as 3-4 broods from May through September. The flowers are attractive to butterflies and other pollinators. Its seeds are favored by songbirds, ruffed grouse, quail, mourning doves, and small mammals. Leave standing dead flowers into the winter as natural bird feeders. Members of the genus Helianthus support the following specialized bees: Andrena (Callandrena s.l.) accepta, Andrena (Callandrena s.l.) aliciae, Andrena (Callandrena s.l.) helianthi, Melissodes (Eumelissodes) agilis, Dieunomia (Dieunomia) heteropoda, Megachile (Sayapis) pugnata, and Paranthidium (Paranthidium) jugatorium.
Attracts
Butterflies; Pollinators; Songbirds; Specialized Bees
Play value
Attractive Flowers; Attracts Pollinators; Colorful; Easy to Grow; Wildlife Food Source; Wildlife Larval Host
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Fall
Fruit type
Achene
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Meadow; Naturalized Area; Woodland
Landscape theme
Butterfly Garden; Cutting Garden; Native Garden; Pollinator Garden
Design feature
Mass Planting
Garden tags
#low maintenance #drought tolerant #specialized bees #nectar plant #deer resistant #fire medium flammability #pollinator plant #native wildflower #larval host plant #NC native #bird friendly #food source fall #butterfly friendly #silvery checkerspot butterfly #bee friendly #wildlife friendly #herbaceous perennial #HS303 #easy to grow #rhizomatous #yellow flowers #pollinator garden #naturalized area #mass planting
Problems & Resistance
Resistant to
Deer; Drought; Dry Soil; Salt
Propagation
Division; Seed
Fire risk
medium flammability

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.

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