Official State Flowers of the United States
Helianthus annuus - Wild Sunflower
Helianthus annuus – Wild Sunflower
State Flower of Kansas – Early settlers celebrated this ubiquitous plains flower and in 1903, the Kansas Legislature designated the Sunflower, Helianthus annuus, as the state flower. Like many wide-spread plants, it is known by several other names such as Common Sunflower, Wild Sunflower and Annual Sunflower.
The genus Helianthus comes from the Greek “helios” meaning “sun” and “anthos” meaning “flower.” The species “annuus” means “annual.” It is not the only species of sunflower found in Kansas. There is another annual species as well as ten perennial species.
The sunflower grows in every Kansas county due to its adaptability to soils from sand to clay and toleration of dry to medium moist soils. In early fall, the yellow flowers give the prairies and roadsides a golden glow.
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