#564 Helianthus debilis Common Names: beach sunflower, cucumber-leafed sunflower Family: Asteraceae/Compositae (aster/daisy Family) Get link to this Profile or click for data record #564

Here beach sunflower grows in front of a St. Petersburg Beach resort where it makes an attractive groundcover that protects the fragile dunes from erosion and tourists' foot traffic.

Location
Most authorities recognize two subspecies of beach sunflower occurring naturally on beaches and dunes from southeast Texas to the east coast of Florida. Helianthus debilis subsp. debilis is prostrate and occurs along both coasts of the Florida peninsula. It has been introduced northward along the Atlantic Coast to North Carolina. H. debilis subsp. cucumerifolius (Cucumber-leaf sunflower) is erect and occurs along the northern Gulf Coast of Florida, west to Texas, and inland, especially in disturbed sites. The cultivar, H. debilis subsp. cucumerifolius 'Italian White', is up to 5 ft (1.5 m) tall with flowerheads 4 in (10 cm) across and pale yellow or creamy white rays and a black disk.

Culture
Light:Full sun
Moisture: Drought tolerant
Hardiness: USDA Zones 8 - 11 .
Propagation: By seed.

These are flowers of the prostrate form of beach sunflower.

Features
Beach sunflower does well on calcareous soils and acid soils alike. It has a high tolerance for salt spray and salty soils and is very drought tolerant. This is in the same genus as the huge, upright annual sunflower, H. annuus.

Steve Christman 08/27/99; updated 9/11/03

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