Genus: Helianthus - Species: annuus - Family: Asteraceae
Phonetic Spelling: hee-lee-AN-thus AN-yoo-us
Origin:Western United States
AK , AL , AR , AZ , CA , CO , CT , DC , DE , FL , GA , HI , IA , ID , IL , IN , KS , KY , LA , MA , MD , ME , MI , MN , MO , MS , MT , ND , NE , NH , NJ , NM , NV , NY , OH , OK , OR , PA , RI , SC , SD , TN , TX , UT , VA , VT , WA , WI , WV , WY. Naturalized in NC.
Indians ground the seeds into flour and baked into cakes. They applied a poultice of crushed plants to snakebites and also used an infusion of the flowers for chest pains or pulmonary problems. The seeds can be used to make a purple-gray dye.
