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Small Wood Sunflower

Helianthus microcephalus

In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in dry woodlands and roadbanks. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition What its natural habitat tells you

97
Keystone

Native to Arkansas. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height
4–6 feet
Spread
2–3 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Somewhat dry to moist

Space about 2.5 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 16 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Bloom
Summer

Not yet recorded · Leaves

Recorded in 4 Arkansas counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 2

Dry forests and woodlands

Forests and open woodlands on dry ridges and slopes, often oak or pine.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Arkansas. Shared habitat, not food. 70 animals.

All wildlife of Arkansas

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

79CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AR

Genus host records with ranges including AR · Helianthus

  • Chlosyne nycteisSilvery Checkerspot
  • Acharia stimuleaSaddleback Caterpillar Moth
  • Achyra rantalisGarden Webworm Moth
  • Adaina ambrosiaeAmbrosia Plume Moth, Ragweed Plume Moth
  • Agrotis ipsilonIpsilon Dart, Black Cutworm, Greasy Cutworm
  • Amyna strictaEight-Spot Moth
  • Chloridea virescensTobacco Budworm Moth
  • Chlorochlamys chloroleucariaBlackberry Looper Moth
  • Chlosyne gorgoneGorgone Checkerspot
  • Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
Show all 79
  • Chrysodeixis includensSoybean Looper Moth
  • Cochylichroa hospesBanded Sunflower Moth
  • Condica sutorThe Cobbler, Cobbler Groundling
  • Cucullia speyeriSpeyer's Cucullia, Speyer's Paint
  • Dichomeris flavocostellaCream-Edged Dichomeris
  • Dichomeris inserrataIndented Dichomeris
  • Dichomeris juncidellaOrange-Dotted Dichomeris
  • Elophila obliteralisWaterlily Leafcutter Moth
  • Estigmene acreaSalt Marsh Moth, Acrea Moth
  • Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
  • Euplexia benesimilisAmerican Angle Shades
  • Euxoa messoriaReaper Dart, Darksided Cutworm, Dark-Sided Cutworm
  • Feltia jaculiferaDingy Cutworm
  • Feltia subgothicaSubgothic Dart
  • Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth
  • Herpetogramma pertextalisBold-Feathered Grass Moth
  • Homoeosoma electellaSunflower Moth
  • Hypercompe scriboniaGiant Leopard Moth, Great Leopard Moth
  • Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
  • Manduca rusticaRustic Sphinx
  • Megalographa bilobaBilobed Looper Moth
  • Mythimna unipunctaArmyworm Moth, White Speck
  • Nomophila nearcticaLucerne Moth, American Celery Webworm
  • Oedemasia leptinoidesBlack-Blotched Schizura
  • Ogdoconta cinereolaCommon Pinkband Groundling
  • Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
  • Papaipema cataphractaBurdock Border, Potato-Stalk Borer
  • Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
  • Pelochrista scintillanaSpangled Pelochrista
  • Phtheochroa birdanaBird's Cochylid
  • Phyciodes tharosPearl Crescent, Crescentspot
  • Plagiomimicus spumosumFrothy Moth
  • Platynota flavedanaBlack-Shaded Platynota
  • Pleuroprucha insulsariaCommon Tan Wave
  • Ponometia semiflavaHalf-Yellow Bird-Dropping Moth, Half-Yellow Moth
  • Ponometia tortricinaX
  • Pyrrharctia isabellaIsabella Tiger Moth, Banded Woolybear
  • Rachiplusia ouGray Looper
  • Sparganothis sulfureanaSparganothis Fruitworm Moth, Sulfur Leafroller, False Yellow-Head
  • Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
  • Spodoptera eridaniaSouthern Armyworm Moth
  • Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
  • Spodoptera latifasciaOrange-Striped Armyworm, Velvet Armyworm Moth
  • Spodoptera ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm
  • Spoladea recurvalisHawaiian Beet Webworm
  • Stiria rugifronsSunflower Seedcropper, Yellow Sunflower Moth
  • Suleima helianthanaSunflower Bud Moth
  • Synchlora frondariaSouthern Emerald
  • Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
  • Trichoplusia niNi Moth, Cabbage Looper Moth
  • Vanessa carduiPainted Lady, Cosmopolite
  • Vanessa virginiensisAmerican Lady, American Painted Lady
  • Xestia c-nigrumSpotted Cut-Worm, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Lesser Black-letter Dart
  • Xestia dolosaGreater Black-Letter Dart, Greater Spotted Cutworm
  • Astrotischeria helianthi
  • Bucculatrix fusicola
  • Bucculatrix magnella
  • Bucculatrix needhami
  • Dichomeris vindex
  • Eucosma sombreana
  • Frechinia helianthiales
  • Isophrictis similiella
  • Landryia matutella
  • Pelochrista milleri
  • Pelochrista womonana
  • Platphalonidia lavana
  • Platynota nigrocervina
  • Sitochroa dasconalis
  • Teladoma helianthi
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
69BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Helianthus

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
44Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Helianthus

  • Andrena aliciae
  • Andrena asteris
  • Andrena braccata
  • Andrena chromotricha
  • Andrena haynesi
  • Andrena simplex
  • Colletes birkmanni
  • Colletes compactus
  • Colletes rufocinctus
  • Colletes simulans
Show all 44
  • Diadasia enavata
  • Dianthidium curvatum
  • Dieunomia heteropoda
  • Dieunomia triangulifera
  • Dufourea marginata
  • Hesperapis carinata
  • Megachile fortis
  • Megachile inimica
  • Megachile parallela
  • Megachile pugnata
  • Megachile xylocopoides
  • Melissodes bidentis
  • Melissodes coloradensis
  • Melissodes coreopsis
  • Melissodes denticulatus
  • Melissodes dentiventris
  • Melissodes desponsus
  • Melissodes illatus
  • Melissodes manipularis
  • Melissodes subillatus
  • Melissodes trinodis
  • Melissodes wheeleri
  • Paranthidium jugatorium
  • Perdita albipennis
  • Perdita bruneri
  • Perdita heliophila
  • Perdita laticincta
  • Perdita pratti
  • Perdita swenki
  • Perdita tridentata
  • Protandrena andrenoides
  • Protandrena piercei
  • Protandrena simulans
  • Trachusa zebrata
Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
36BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Helianthus

  • Agelaius phoeniceusRed-winged Blackbird
  • Alectoris chukarChukar
  • Anthus rubescensAmerican Pipit
  • Branta canadensisCanada Goose
  • Calcarius lapponicusLapland Longspur
  • Calcarius ornatusChestnut-collared Longspur
  • Callipepla californicaCalifornia Quail
  • Callipepla gambeliiGambel's Quail
  • Colinus virginianusNorthern Bobwhite
  • Columbina passerinaCommon Ground Dove
Show all 36
  • Corvus brachyrhynchosAmerican Crow
  • Corvus cryptoleucusChihuahuan Raven
  • Dryobates pubescensDowny Woodpecker
  • Euphagus cyanocephalusBrewer's Blackbird
  • Haemorhous mexicanusHouse Finch
  • Loxia leucopteraWhite-winged Crossbill
  • Melanerpes erythrocephalusRed-headed Woodpecker
  • Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
  • Melospiza melodiaSong Sparrow
  • Melozone crissalisCalifornia Towhee
  • Molothrus aterBrown-headed Cowbird
  • Oreortyx pictusMountain Quail
  • Ortalis vetulaPlain Chachalaca
  • Passer domesticusHouse Sparrow
  • Perdix perdixGray Partridge
  • Quiscalus quisculaCommon Grackle
  • Rhynchophanes mccowniiMcCown's Longspur
  • Sitta carolinensisWhite-breasted Nuthatch
  • Spinus psaltriaLesser Goldfinch
  • Spinus tristisAmerican Goldfinch
  • Turdus migratoriusAmerican Robin
  • Tympanuchus pallidicinctusLesser Prairie-Chicken
  • Xanthocephalus xanthocephalusYellow-headed Blackbird
  • Zenaida asiaticaWhite-winged Dove
  • Zenaida macrouraMourning Dove
  • Zonotrichia leucophrysWhite-crowned Sparrow
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Asteraceae
Hardiness
Zones 4a–8b
Soil pH
Acidic to neutral
Flower color
Yellow

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Smallhead Sunflower; Woodland Sunflower

Conservation status

Arkansas rankSNR
Global rankG5
AR statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources