About Heliopsis helianthoides (L.) Sweet
Heliopsis helianthoides (L.) Sweet is a species of flowering plant in the Asteraceae family, commonly known as rough oxeye, smooth oxeye, and false sunflower. It is native to eastern and central North America, ranging from Saskatchewan east to Newfoundland, and south to Texas, New Mexico, and Georgia. This is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial that grows 40 to 150 cm (16 to 59 inches) tall. Its toothed leaf blades are oval, triangular, or lance-shaped, and can have a smooth, hairy, or rough texture. It produces flowers from midsummer to early autumn. Its inflorescence holds one to many composite flowerheads. Each flowerhead contains yellow ray florets that are generally 2 to 4 cm (3⁄4 to 1+1⁄2 inches) long. Unlike the ray florets of true sunflowers, these rays are fertile, with a small forked pistil at their base. The center of each flowerhead holds many yellow to brownish disc florets. Its fruit is an achene about 5 mm (0.20 inches) long. In the wild, H. helianthoides grows in wooded areas, tallgrass prairie, and sometimes along roadsides. It is a popular garden plant suited to moist, fertile soil in full sun. Plants grow stiff and tall, so they may need staking. Several cultivars are available with flowers in a range of colors and shades, including 'Summer Sun', 'Golden Plume', and 'Prairie Sunset'. The following cultivars of H. helianthoides var. scabra, the rough variety, have earned the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit: 'Benzinggold', 'Light of Loddon', 'Loraine Sunshine'='Helhan', 'Sonnenglut', 'Spitzentänzerin', and 'Waterperry Gold'. The Botanical Latin species name helianthoides translates to "resembling sunflowers".
