mexican sunflower

mexican sunflower

Mexican sunflower, the annual, is one of the easier to grow, reseeding itself about as faithfully as the common sunflowers that grow wild all over around here. The Mexican sunflower (Tithonia rotundifolia) doesn't look anything like regular sunflowers, but is related. Mexican sunflower does well in partial shade, but needs a little extra water, making it completely impractical for full sun exposure. The leaves of Mexican sunflower are soft and velvet-like, with the short "fur" covering the stems as well. Even the large petals of Mexican sunflower are velvet-like in appearance. The seeds of Mexican sunflower tend to germinate late in the spring and the plants do not bloom until late summer.

Mexican sunflowers are magnificent, usually sporting a day-glo orange color, but ranging from deep gold to almost red. The center of Mexican sunflower is usually gold. Like all sunflowers, Mexican sunflower usually opens the large outer petals, then the small flowers in the center open in sequential fashion, but once in a while a bloom will open center first, with the petals still rolled up in little tubes. Bees and butterflies spend a lot of time at these Mexican sunflowers. The seed heads are very spiny and are not usually collected. Just smash the whole thing into the ground so they can germinate the following summer.