| Helianthus simulans | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Genus: | Helianthus |
| Species: | H. simulans
|
| Binomial name | |
| Helianthus simulans Nutt. 1841
| |
Helianthus simulans is a North American species of sunflower known by the common name muck sunflower. It is native to the southeastern and south-central United States, from eastern Texas to the Carolinas. There are some suggestions that the populations in the eastern half of that range might represent naturalizations.[1]
Helianthus simulans grows in wet, mucky soils in marshes, ditches, and roadsides. It is an perennial herb up to 260 cm (over 8 feet) tall, spreading by means of underground rhizomes. One plant usually produces 1-15 flower heads, each containing 12–23 yellow ray florets surrounding 100 or more red, yellow, or brown disc florets.[2]