This sunflower put me into a spin. The plant, before it bloomed, I had never seen, not in 15 years of driving around Northeastern Colorado. I took an early picture to Brian Kailey, our County Agent. Though a local boy, he had never seen it before. After it finally bloomed, and with a little help from those at CSU, it was identified as a Maximilian Sunflower, listed at native though “rarely seen.” It was discovered to science in 1825 by Count Maximilian, visiting this country to pursue his hobby as a naturalist. It differs from our other sunflowers in that it is a perennial. It spreads by rhizomes and seeds, making it possibly aggressive. I have since found it in two places. I am suspicious of its origins. Both places have been farmed, but not very recently. The plants are in a row, up to a mile and a half long. I suspect some upheaval, such as pipeline or utilities digging occurred there and the Sunflower was one of the varieties of seeds spread to revegetate the scar. In the same area I found Purple Prairie Clover, a plant I know is used for revegetation. This and the amazing Dodder are two of the new plants I added to the list this year. Check out Dodder if you are unfamiliar. It is an amazing parasite.
The petals overlap more than on the traditional sunflowers.
It is a very impressive plant. While it was new to me, it isn’t to the seed catalogues. It and many cultivars are available and are used in gardens. Remember, it is a perennial.
This plant is about eight feet tall.
