Identification

• Thin-leaved sunflower plants grow between 2 and 5 feet tall. Their lower stems are smooth and hairless, while the upper stems are covered in a coat of short bristly hair. The stems range in color from pale green to purple. The rough-textured oval- or lance-shaped leaves have deeply serrated margins. Bright yellow, daisy-like flowers bloom from midsummer to fall.
  
  

Cultivation

• Thin-leaved sunflowers prefer full sunlight or partial shade and moist soil. They are available in several cultivars. The Helianthus decapetalus var. multiflorus grows between 4 and 6 feet tall and produces light yellow blossoms, while the Italian White cultivar produces clusters of cream-colored blossoms with dark centers. Thin-leaved sunflowers are occasionally infected by leaf spot, rust and powdery mildew.
  
  

Considerations

• Thin-leaved sunflowers are an important food source for a variety of animals and insects. Many bird species eat the seeds, while deer and rabbits feed on the foliage. Bees and wasps feed on the nectar and pollinate the blossoms. The plant is also a source of nectar for painted lady and silvery checkspot butterflies, as well as a larval host for their young.