Helianthus doronicoides

Helianthus doronicoides
(c) Eduard Garin, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Eduard Garin

At a glance

Lifecycle
Perennial (hardy)
Exposure
Full sun
Frost limit
−34.4 °C

Cultivation

Succeeds in most soils in a sunny position. Plants have a running root system and can be invasive in suitable conditions. 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. Possibly a naturally occurring hybrid, H. giganteus x H. mollis.

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.

Edible uses

Tubers - cooked. A similar taste to Jerusalem artichokes but less productive because the tubers are very thin[K].

Habitat

Dry woods, thickets and clearings.

Native range

Central N. America - Ohio to Missouri and Arkansas.

Same genus