''Helianthus neglectus'' is a species of

sunflower The common sunflower (''Helianthus annuus'') is a large annual forb of the genus ''Helianthus'' grown as a crop for its edible oily seeds. Apart from cooking oil production, it is also used as livestock forage (as a meal or a silage plant), as ...

known by the common names neglected sunflower. It is native to the southwestern United States in southeastern

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

and

West Texas West Texas is a loosely defined region in the U.S. state of Texas, generally encompassing the arid and semiarid lands west of a line drawn between the cities of Wichita Falls, Abilene, and Del Rio. No consensus exists on the boundary betwee ...

. ''Helianthus neglectus'' grows on sand dunes and other sandy soil. This wildflower is an annual herb up to 200 cm (almost 7 ft) tall, growing from a thick, fleshy

taproot A taproot is a large, central, and dominant root from which other roots sprout laterally. Typically a taproot is somewhat straight and very thick, is tapering in shape, and grows directly downward. In some plants, such as the carrot, the taproo ...

. One plant produces one to five

flower heads A pseudanthium (Greek for "false flower"; ) is an inflorescence that resembles a flower. The word is sometimes used for other structures that are neither a true flower nor a true inflorescence. Examples of pseudanthia include flower heads, compos ...

containing 21-31 yellow

ray florets The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...

surrounding 150 or more red or purple

disc floret The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...

s.Flora of North America Helianthus neglectus Heiser, 1958. Neglected sunflower
/ref>Heiser, Charles Bixler 1958. Rhodora 60(718): 275–279
description in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

, commentary in English, full-page line drawing on page 276 ''Helianthus neglectus'' hybridizes with several other species in the region: '' H. annuus, H. debilis, ''and'' H. petiolaris.''

References

External links

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, University of Texas
neglectus Flora of the Western United States Plants described in 1958 {{Heliantheae-stub