Helianthus giganteus
| Helianthus giganteus | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 4 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 12' |
| Speed: | Fast |
| Blooms: | Early Fall-Mid Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Helianthus giganteus (common name: giant sunflower)
Propagation: 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: Succeeds in most soils in a sunny position[1]. Requires a rich soil[1]. Dislikes shade[1]. Likes moist soils, doing well by a stream[2].
The young growth is extremely attractive to slugs, plants can be totally destroyed by them[K].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer or rabbits[3].
Plants have a running root system and can be invasive[1].
Range: N. America - Maine and Ontario to Saskatchewan, Florida, Louisiana and Colorado.
Habitat: Damp or rich thickets, swampy woods and clearings[4].
Edibility: Tubers - cooked[5]. A similar taste to Jerusalem artichokes but less productive. The var. 'subtuberosus' is used[1][6].
Seed - raw or cooked. It can be dried and ground into a powder, then mixed with cornmeal and used for making bread[7][8][9][10][11]. The seed is very small and fiddly to use[K].
Pollinators: Bees, flies
Notes: Any member of this genus could be considered. The best known is H. annuus, the sunflower, though this is an annual.
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Mid Fall-Late Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: H. altissimus. H. decapitalus sulphureus elatior.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ Lyndon, Merritt. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co, 1950.
- ↑ Saunders, Charles. Edible and Useful Wild Plants of the United States and Canada. Dover Publications, 1976.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Hylton, Josie and William Holtom. Complete Guide to Herbs. Rodale Press, 1979.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.