False Sunflower

Heliopsis helianthoides

Size: 1 Gallon Availability

Flower
Max size: 5′ tall x 3′ wide
Average size: 3′ tall x 2′ wide

Moist to Dry, Very Dry
Clay, Loam, Sand
Sun, Part Shade
No salt tolerance

AKA: Early Sunflower, Sweet Smooth Oxeye, Eastern Sunflower Everlasting

Short-lived perennial with showy yellow flowers that bloom in summer. Attracts numerous native pollinators, including hoverflies and soldier beetles. One of its specialist pollinators is Holcopasites heliopsis. The seeds are enjoyed by birds. Forms in clumps. Deadhead flowers to extend bloom time. If in a shadier location, they might need to be staked. To reduce the plant height and encourage bushiness, the stems may be cut back in late May. They tend to come back from rootstock in spring after winter dormancy; they also self-seed and can form colonies. They are deer resistant.

The flowers can be used as a cutting for floral arrangements. (1) The bark of the roots is added to beans as a condiment in place of chiles or added to alcoholic drinks to give a spicy kick; the bark can numb the tongue and produce excessive saliva from the heat intensity when freshly chewed. Ojibwa makes root decoctions to apply and stimulate limbs; fresh roots could also be chewed for the same use. Meskwaki made a medicine of the root for lung problems. (2)