Wild Flowers East of the Rockies 373 



TEN-PETALLED SUNFLOWER (Helianthus de- 



capetalous.) This is a slender stemmed, graceful, 

 showy-flowered Sunflower, common in damp woods 

 and on the borders of thickets, from Me., Quebec and 

 Minn, southwards. The branching stem grows from 



2 to 5 feet tall; it is slightly hairy-rough on the up- 

 per portions but smooth below. The leaves are thin, 

 rather rough-broad lance-shaped, short-stemmed and 

 grow oppositely on the stem; they are all sharply 

 saw-toothed. The showy flowers, growing on slend- 

 er peduncles from the ends of the branches, are 2 to 



3 inches across. Though often with ten rays, they 

 just as frequently have any number from 8 to 15. 



COMMON SUNFLOWER (Helianthus annuus) is 

 the common garden sunflower that often has such 

 enormous heads. The normal, wild plant is common 

 from Minn, to Texas and westward. The flower 

 heads range from three to six inches in diameter; it 

 is only the cutlivated variety, produced from this, 

 that has the mammoth heads we often see. It has 

 been introduced into most civilized countries and 

 furnishes many staple articles of commerce. It prob- 

 ably reaches its greatest development in point of 

 size in Russia, the seeds from plants grown in that . 

 country being more than double in size of any pro- 

 duced in the United States. 



In its wild state the plant only grows from three 

 to six feet tall. Its name is due, not only to its sun- 

 like face., but also to the fact that the flowers usual- 

 ly face the sun, turning their heads slowly so as to 

 follow it around the horizon. Their period of bloom 

 is from July until Sept.. This species may readily 

 be recognized by the large, alternately, three-ribbed, 

 rough, toothed leaves. 



