I remembered that I was doing native (to North Carolina) plant OTs for a bit, so here’s another one!

Schweinitz’s Sunflower (Helianthus schweinitzii) is an extremely rare wild flower in the aster family. It can grow up to 9 feet tall and spreads via tuberous roots. The flower is native to the Piedmont of North and South Carolina (basically the flatter parts of the state between the coastal plain and the mountains) and once grew widely in woodland openings and prairies throughout the area. With ever-increasing development in the region, Schweinitz’s Sunflower has been reduced to fragmentary populations along roadsides and under power-lines. And also my yard because I bought some from the local native plant nursery! I’ll try to remember to get some pictures when they bloom.