Parish's Sunflower

Helianthus nuttallii subsp. parishii is a subspecies of the species Helianthus nuttallii in the genus Helianthus, family Asteraceae.^[1][2] It is also known by the common names Los Angeles sunflower^[1] and Parish's sunflower.^[3] This subspecies has not been seen, in the wild or in cultivation, since 1937.^[1]

Description

• Stems: Range from glabrous (smooth) to tomentose (furry).^[1]
• Leaves: Leaf arrangement is alternate. Upper leaf surfaces are hairy and rough or tomentose, while the lower leaf surfaces are more or less finely tomentose.^[1]
• Inflorescences: Variable number of flowers are borne in round or flat-topped clusters. Peduncles (flower stalks) and phyllaries (involucral bracts) are densely hairy. Flowers from August–October.^[1]
  • Ray Florets: Typically 12-21 ray florets per capitulum. Individual ray florets measure between 15-25mm in length.^[1]
  • Disc Florets: Corollas measure 5-7mm, with yellow lobes.^[1]
• Fruits: Fruits measure 3-4mm in length, with a pappus scales 3-4mm, sometimes less.^[1]

Habitat and distribution

Inhabits marshy areas less than 500m above sea level in central western and southwestern California.^[1]

Etymology

Helianthus is derived from Greek, meaning 'sun-flower' ('heli' meaning 'sun', and 'anthus', as in 'anther', meaning 'flower'). As the large, yellow-gold heads of many species tend to follow the sun, the Italian-derived 'girare-sole', literally meaning 'turning sun', is also a cognate with 'Jerusalem', as in Jerusalem Artichoke.^[4]

Nuttallii is named for Thomas Nuttall (1786-1859), a grower of American plants at Rainhill in Lancashire, though he lived in Long Preston in Yorkshire.^[4]

Parishii is named for Samuel Bonsall Parish and William Fletcher Parish, California botanists.^[5]

References