Herb: Showy Sunflower


Latin name: Helianthus laetiflorus


Family: Compositae



Edible parts of Showy Sunflower:

Tubers - raw or cooked. Used like Jerusalem artichokes, to which they are not much inferior in taste though yields are lower.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Perennial


Height:
2 m
(6 1/2 foot)

Flowering:
August to
October

Habitat of the herb:

Open woods and thickets, often on drier soils.

Propagation of Showy Sunflower:

Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division in spring or autumn. Very easy, larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring. Basal cuttings in spring. Harvest the shoots when they are about 10 - 15cm long with plenty of underground stem. Pot them up into individual pots and keep them in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the summer.

Cultivation of the herb:

Open woods and thickets, often on drier soils.

Medicinal use of Showy Sunflower:

None known

Known hazards of Helianthus laetiflorus:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.