Helianthus californicusCalifornia sunflower. Undoubtedly the tallest herbaceous plant in the Regional Park Botanic Garden, it can measure up to 12 feet in height. The species can be found in damp places around the Great Valley at elevations less than 1600 meters and south into Baja California. The photograph of the flowers against the sky is not an artistic choiceit is nearly the only way the flowers can be photographed. Photographed at Regional Parks Botanic Garden located in Tilden Regional Park near Berkeley, CA
Our native water-loving sunflower, Helianthus nuttallii subsp. nuttallii is a tall, perennial forb. Mature plants are commonly in the four to eight foot range and they can be even taller (2.5 to 3 meters). This is a species that is fast disappearing along the Wasatch Front.August 27, 2013, Murray, Salt Lake County, Utah, elev. 4,360 ft.
