Explore Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
Can't find the answer in our existing FAQs, submit a question to Mr. Smarty Plants.
Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.
rate this answer
Thursday - February 03, 2005
From: Green Mountain, NC
Region: Southeast
Topic: Wildflowers
Title: Sunflower with large, thick, fuzzy leaves
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
Hello Smarty Plants: I live in Green Mt. NC and am a Master Gardener Volunteer in Buncombe County (Asheville). In summer several years ago we visited a garden which had a beautiful sunflower with large, thick, fuzzy leaves. The fuzz was white, the leaves were blue, and the veins had a reddish caste. The plant stands about 6' high, grows in full sun. I was given seeds to plant in my garden and had flowers for a few years, gathering the seeds to plant the following year. The last year I had this plant I waited too late in the summer to gather the seeds and the birds (?) had beat me to it. I went back to my original source and the owner said that his seeds were also gone. The name of the sunflower is Helianthus argophyllus. Please find me a source, I miss this sunflower very much in my garden.ANSWER:
According to the USDA Plants Database the silverleaf sunflower (Helianthus argophyllus) occurs in Texas, Florida and North Carolina. You can search on the Wildflower Center web page for nurseries and seed companies that specialize in native seeds. Select Explore Plants from the side bar and then select Suppliers Directory. You can then choose Seed Companies and search for companies by state or region. The seed companies I found with in Texas, Florida, and North Carolina with web sites did not list Helianthus argophyllus, but you might try them and the ones listed without websites by telephone. Another possibility is to try an organization called "Seeds of Texas". Members of Seeds of Texas "grow or collect, and trade, seeds of native and heirloom or traditional garden plants adapted to the Gulf and Southwest States." Their website was not functioning but here is other contact information for them:Seeds of Texas
PO Box 9882
College Station, TX 77842
Email: jackrowe@compuserve.com
A quick Google search revealed one company Chiltern Seeds in, of all places, England, with seeds of Helianthus argophyllus for sale.
More Wildflowers Questions
Plants for steep clay bank in Summerfield OH
April 07, 2012 - Hello, We have a steep 15-20 foot high bank behind our house here in southern Ohio. Probably 50 ft.long. What could we plant for beauty and erosion control. It is nasty clay soil with lots of shale an...
view the full question and answer
Nightblooming flower for Alberta, Canada
July 28, 2012 - Are there any night flowers that bloom in august or early september with more than one flower bud for each plant that is native to Canada?
view the full question and answer
Fall blooming native Texas wildflowers
July 30, 2007 - Hello, Mr. Smarty Plants,
I'm a writer working on a historical set in TX in 1821 in the fall. My characters travel from the piney woods in east TX to the South Plain around San Antonio in Sept and e...
view the full question and answer
Forecast for 2008 Spring wildflower season
February 18, 2008 - Has there been a forecast made for this spring's bluebonnet and wildflower season?
view the full question and answer
Life cycle of Big Bend bluebonnet from Rosanky TX
April 29, 2010 - I have searched and searched and need to find the life cycle of a Big Bend Bluebonnet for a school project, but have been unable to find it. If there is a website that would have this information, ple...
view the full question and answer
 |
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. Mr. Smarty Plants wants you to be his Facebook friend. Click the Facebook icon to add yourself to Mr. Smarty Plants list of friends. |
