Cheerful Sunflower (Helianthus X laetiflorus): yellow Minnesota wildflowers

Cheerful Sunflower

Plant Info
Also known as:	Showy Sunflower, Stiff Sunflower, Prairie Sunflower
Scientific name:	Helianthus X laetiflorus
Family:	Aster (Asteraceae)
Life cycle:	perennial
Origin:	native
Habitat:	sun; average to dry prairies, waste areas
Bloom season:	summer
Plant height:	2 to 4 feet
USDA PLANTS database:	Minnesota county distribution map
Spotted in Ramsey County at:	Long Lake Regional Park

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Flower:: Yellow sunflower 2 to 3½ inches across with 10 to 25 petals (ray flowers). The center is usally a dark brown, but is sometimes yellow. When the weather is especially dry, the petals fold up lengthwise or become twisted.
The bracts are short, wide and flat, usually with rounded tips.
Leaves and stem:: Leaves are up to 4 inches long and ¾ to 1 inch wide, generally shaped like the tip of a spear, with a very rough texture and little or no leaf stem. A pair of prominent lower veins run parallel to the center vein. Attachment is mostly opposite.
The leaf edges have fine, widely spaced teeth and short hairs. The main stem is bristly and turns reddish brown with age; the upper part of the main stem is bare of leaves.
Notes:: This was a little difficult to identify, partly because many sunflowers look alike, but mostly because there are several resources that claim Helianthus laetiflorus (Cheerful Sunflower) and Helianthus pauciflorus (Stiff Sunflower) are the same species. Cheerful Sunflower is a hybrid of Stiff Sunflower and Jerusalem Artichoke (H. tuberosus).