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Helianthus cusickii - A.Gray

Common Name Cusick's sunflower
Family Asteraceae
USDA hardiness 7-10
Known Hazards None known
Habitats Dry grassy slopes, open woodland, mountain forests and foothills. Elevation: 1050-1300m.
Range N. America. Native to the western United States from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, northern California, and northwestern Nevada.
Edibility Rating    (3 of 5)
Other Uses    (0 of 5)
Weed Potential No
Medicinal Rating    (1 of 5)
Care (info)
Frost Hardy Well drained soil Moist Soil Full sun
Helianthus cusickii Cusick


Wikimedia Commons.
Helianthus cusickii Cusick
Wikimedia Commons.

 

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Summary


Physical Characteristics

 icon of manicon of flower
Helianthus cusickii is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.6 m (2ft) by 0.2 m (0ft 8in) at a fast rate.
See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 8.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.

UK Hardiness Map US Hardiness Map

Synonyms

No synonyms are recorded for this name.

Plant Habitats

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Oil  Root  Seed
Edible Uses: Oil

Edible Portion: Seeds, Roots. The roots are peeled and eaten raw. Carbon Farming Solutions - Staple Crop: protein-oil (The term staple crop typically refers to a food that is eaten routinely and accounts for a dominant part of people's diets in a particular region of the world) [1-1]. Perennial crops are being developed for their oil-seed. The Land Institute see them as part of a perennial polyculture system. Helianthus cusickii is an arid US western mountain species not tolerant of boreal conditions but grows on poor soils [1-1].

References   More on Edible Uses

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.


The root was used by US Plateau Indian tribes to treat erectile dysfunction, wasting, and tuberculosis.

References   More on Medicinal Uses

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Other Uses

Oil

None Known

Special Uses

Carbon Farming

References   More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

Management: Standard  Staple Crop: Protein-oil  Under Development

Climate: cold to warm temperate. Humidity: arid to semi-arid. A perennial wildflower herb. Poor soils. Flowering Time: Late Spring, Early Summer. Cultivation: under development. Management: standard (Describes the non-destructive management systems that are used in cultivation) [1-1].

Carbon Farming

  • Management: Standard  Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.
  • Staple Crop: Protein-oil  (16+ percent protein, 16+ percent oil). Annuals include soybeans, peanuts, sunflower seeds. Perennials include seeds, beans, nuts, and fruits such as almond, Brazil nut, pistachio, walnut, hazel, and safou.
  • Under Development  Plant breeders are actively working to domesticate these plants for cultivation, but they are not yet commercially available as crops. Examples include most of the perennial cereal grains.

References   Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information

Temperature Converter

Type a value in the Celsius field to convert the value to Fahrenheit:

Fahrenheit:

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The PFAF Bookshop

Plants For A Future have a number of books available in paperback and digital form. Book titles include Edible Plants, Edible Perennials, Edible Trees,Edible Shrubs, Woodland Gardening, and Temperate Food Forest Plants. Our new book is Food Forest Plants For Hotter Conditions (Tropical and Sub-Tropical).

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Plant Propagation

Seed

Other Names

If available other names are mentioned here

Helianthus Species, Cusick's Sunflower, Turniproot Sunflower

Native Range

NORTHERN AMERICA: United States (Idaho (west), Oregon (e. & c.), Washington (s.-c.), California (northeast), Nevada (northwest))

Weed Potential

Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section. Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking.

None Known

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status : This taxon has not yet been assessed

Related Plants
Latin NameCommon NameHabitHeightHardinessGrowthSoilShadeMoistureEdibleMedicinalOther
Helianthus annuusSunflower, Common sunflowerAnnual3.0 6-9 FLMHSNDM525
Helianthus decapetalusThinleaf sunflowerPerennial1.2 2-8 MLMHSNM002
Helianthus doronicoides Perennial1.8 4-8  LMHNM20 
Helianthus giganteusGiant SunflowerPerennial3.6 4-8 FLMHNM300
Helianthus hybridsPerennial SunflowerPerennial3.6 4-11 FLMHNDM422
Helianthus laetiflorusShowy Sunflower, Cheerful sunflowerPerennial2.0 4-8  LMHNM20 
Helianthus lenticularisWild SunflowerAnnual3.0 -  LMHNM30 
Helianthus maximilianiiMaximillian Sunflower, Maximillian DaisyPerennial2.4 5-10 MLMHNM300
Helianthus pauciflorusStiff Sunflower, Prairie SunflowerPerennial1.5 3-7 FLMHNDM401
Helianthus petiolarisPrairie SunflowerAnnual3.0 4-8  LMHNDM210
Helianthus strumosusPaleleaf Woodland SunflowerPerennial2.0 4-8  LMHNM21 
Helianthus tuberosusJerusalem ArtichokePerennial2.4 4-8 FLMHNDM413

Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.

 

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Author

A.Gray

Botanical References

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