Taxon: Helianthus maximiliani Schrad.

Summary

Genus:

Helianthus

Family:

Asteraceae (alt. Compositae)

Subfamily:

Asteroideae

Tribe:

Heliantheae

Nomen number:

27931

Place of publication:

Index sem. hort. acad. gotting. 1835:3. 1835 (Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot. sér. 2, 6:101. 1836)

Protologue link:

https://seedlists.naturalis.nl/sites/default/files/Gottingen%20%281835%29%20%20page%203_1.jpg

Comment:

the original spelling is permissible under Shenzhen ICN Rec. 60C.1, Maximilianus being of ancient Roman origin, and is not correctable under Shenzhen ICN Art. 60.8

Verified:

03/08/2010 ARS Systematic Botanists.

Accessions:

130 (75 active, 62 available) in National Plant Germplasm System. (Map it)

Other conspecific taxa

Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations

Images (2 total. Click on image for more.)

Conservation Status

Reference(s)

Asselin, S. R. et al. 2020. Genetic analysis of domestication parallels in annual and perennial sunflowers (Helianthus spp.): Routes to crop development. Front. Plant Sci. 11:834. DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.00834. Note: diploid (2n=17) Helianthus maximiliani is recognized as a potential perennial oilseed crop, in addition to several uses
Atlagic, J. et al. 1995. Meiosis and pollen grain viability in Helianthus mollis, Helianthus salicifolius, Helianthus maximiliani and their F1 hybrids with cultivated sunflower. Euphytica 81:259-263. Note: Netherlands journal of plant breeding
Atlagic, J. 2004. Roles of interspecific hybridization and cytogenetic studies in sunflower breeding. Helia 41:1-24.
Braasch, J. E. et al. 2021. Testing for evolutionary change in restoration: A genomic comparison between ex situ, native, and commercial seed sources of Helianthus maximiliani. Evol. Applications 14:2206-2220. DOI: 10.1111/eva.13275. Note: perennial Helianthus maximiliani is used for grassland restoration in the U.S.A.
Browne, E. T. & R. Athey. 1992. Vascular plants of Kentucky: an annotated checklist
Christov, M. et al. 2009. Wild species of Helianthus L. - Sources of resistance to the parasite Orobanche cumana Wallr. Helia 32:65-74.
Englert, J. M. et al. 1999-. USDA-NRCS Improved conservation plant materials released by NRCS and cooperators Note: lists as "maximiliani"
FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
Georgieva-Todorova, J. 1984. Interspecific hybridization in the genus Helianthus L. Z. Pflanzenzücht. 93:265-279. Note: replaced by Plant Breeding (New York)
Heiser, C. B., Jr. et al. 1962. Species crosses in Helianthus: I. Diploid species. Brittonia 14:137-147.
Heiser, C. B., Jr. et al. 1969. The North American sunflowers (Helianthus). Mem. Torrey Bot. Club 22(3):154-157.
Henn, J.-J. et al. 1998. Regeneration of fertile interspecific hybrids from protoplast fusions between Helianthus annuus L. and wild Helianthus species. Pl. Cell Rep. 18:220-224.
Hickman, J. C., ed. 1993. The Jepson manual: higher plants of California
Horn, R. 2002. Molecular diversity of male sterility inducing and male-fertile cytoplasms in the genus Helianthus. Theor. Appl. Genet. 104:562-570.
Jan, C. C. et al. 2002. Registration of four sunflower germplasms with resistance to Orobanche cumana race F. Crop Sci. (Madison) 42:2217-2218.
Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada
McGregor, R. L. et al. (The Great Plains Flora Association). 1986. Flora of the Great Plains.
Mitchell, R. S., ed. 1986. A checklist of New York state plants. New York State Mus. Bull. 458
Ohio Flora Committee (E. L. Braun, T. S. Cooperrider, T. R. Fisher, J. J. Furlow). 1967-. The vascular flora of Ohio.
Porcher, M. H. et al. Searchable World Wide Web Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (MMPND) (on-line resource).
Radford, A. E. et al., eds. 1980-. Vascular flora of the southeastern United States.
Radford, A. E. et al. 1964. Manual of the vascular flora of the Carolinas.
Rogers, C. E. et al. 1982. Sunflower species of the United States 47-48.
Seiler, G. 1997. pers. comm. Note: re. common names
Seymour, F. 1969. The flora of New England.
Smith, E. B. 1978. An atlas and annotated list of the vascular plants of Arkansas
Sujatha, M. & M. Lakshminarayana. 2007. Resistance to Spodoptera litura (Fabr.) in Helianthus species and backcross derived inbred lines from crosses involving diploid species. Euphytica 155:205-213. Note: Netherlands journal of plant breeding
Tikhomirov, V. T. & P. V. Chiryaev. 2005. Sources of resistance to diseases in original material of sunflower. Helia 28:101-106.
Timme, R. E. et al. 2007. High-resolution phylogeny for Helianthus (Asteraceae) using the 18S-26S ribosomal DNA external transcribed spacer. Amer. J. Bot. 94:1837-1852.
Townsend, J., ed. South Carolina plant atlas (on-line resource).
Wherry, E. T. et al. 1979. Atlas of the flora of Pennsylvania.

Common names

Language	Name	Alternate name	note	seq	Citation
English	Maximilian's sunflower			1	Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada
French	hélianthe de Maximilien			2	FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.

Distribution

order_code	Status	Continent	Subcontinent	Country	State	Note	Reference
1	Native	Northern America	Eastern Canada	Canada	Ontario		Heiser, C. B., Jr. et al. 1969. The North American sunflowers (Helianthus). Mem. Torrey Bot. Club 22(3):154-157.
1	Native	Northern America	North-Central U.S.A.	United States	Illinois		Heiser, C. B., Jr. et al. 1969. The North American sunflowers (Helianthus). Mem. Torrey Bot. Club 22(3):154-157.
1	Native	Northern America	North-Central U.S.A.	United States	Iowa		Heiser, C. B., Jr. et al. 1969. The North American sunflowers (Helianthus). Mem. Torrey Bot. Club 22(3):154-157.
1	Native	Northern America	North-Central U.S.A.	United States	Kansas		Heiser, C. B., Jr. et al. 1969. The North American sunflowers (Helianthus). Mem. Torrey Bot. Club 22(3):154-157.
1	Native	Northern America	North-Central U.S.A.	United States	Minnesota		Heiser, C. B., Jr. et al. 1969. The North American sunflowers (Helianthus). Mem. Torrey Bot. Club 22(3):154-157.
1	Native	Northern America	North-Central U.S.A.	United States	Missouri		Heiser, C. B., Jr. et al. 1969. The North American sunflowers (Helianthus). Mem. Torrey Bot. Club 22(3):154-157.
1	Native	Northern America	North-Central U.S.A.	United States	Nebraska		Heiser, C. B., Jr. et al. 1969. The North American sunflowers (Helianthus). Mem. Torrey Bot. Club 22(3):154-157.
1	Native	Northern America	North-Central U.S.A.	United States	North Dakota		Heiser, C. B., Jr. et al. 1969. The North American sunflowers (Helianthus). Mem. Torrey Bot. Club 22(3):154-157.
1	Native	Northern America	North-Central U.S.A.	United States	Oklahoma		Heiser, C. B., Jr. et al. 1969. The North American sunflowers (Helianthus). Mem. Torrey Bot. Club 22(3):154-157.
1	Native	Northern America	North-Central U.S.A.	United States	South Dakota		Heiser, C. B., Jr. et al. 1969. The North American sunflowers (Helianthus). Mem. Torrey Bot. Club 22(3):154-157.
1	Native	Northern America	North-Central U.S.A.	United States	Wisconsin		Heiser, C. B., Jr. et al. 1969. The North American sunflowers (Helianthus). Mem. Torrey Bot. Club 22(3):154-157.
1	Native	Northern America	Northeastern U.S.A.	United States	Indiana		Heiser, C. B., Jr. et al. 1969. The North American sunflowers (Helianthus). Mem. Torrey Bot. Club 22(3):154-157.
1	Native	Northern America	Northeastern U.S.A.	United States	Michigan		Heiser, C. B., Jr. et al. 1969. The North American sunflowers (Helianthus). Mem. Torrey Bot. Club 22(3):154-157.
1	Native	Northern America	Northeastern U.S.A.	United States	Ohio		Heiser, C. B., Jr. et al. 1969. The North American sunflowers (Helianthus). Mem. Torrey Bot. Club 22(3):154-157.
1	Native	Northern America	Northwestern U.S.A.	United States	Colorado	n.e.	Heiser, C. B., Jr. et al. 1969. The North American sunflowers (Helianthus). Mem. Torrey Bot. Club 22(3):154-157.
1	Native	Northern America	Northwestern U.S.A.	United States	Montana	e.	Heiser, C. B., Jr. et al. 1969. The North American sunflowers (Helianthus). Mem. Torrey Bot. Club 22(3):154-157.
1	Native	Northern America	Northwestern U.S.A.	United States	Wyoming	e.	Heiser, C. B., Jr. et al. 1969. The North American sunflowers (Helianthus). Mem. Torrey Bot. Club 22(3):154-157.
1	Native	Northern America	South-Central U.S.A.	United States	Texas		Heiser, C. B., Jr. et al. 1969. The North American sunflowers (Helianthus). Mem. Torrey Bot. Club 22(3):154-157.
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Arkansas		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
1	Native	Northern America	Western Canada	Canada	Alberta	s.	Heiser, C. B., Jr. et al. 1969. The North American sunflowers (Helianthus). Mem. Torrey Bot. Club 22(3):154-157.
1	Native	Northern America	Western Canada	Canada	British Columbia	s.	FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
1	Native	Northern America	Western Canada	Canada	Manitoba	s.	Heiser, C. B., Jr. et al. 1969. The North American sunflowers (Helianthus). Mem. Torrey Bot. Club 22(3):154-157.
1	Native	Northern America	Western Canada	Canada	Saskatchewan	s.	Heiser, C. B., Jr. et al. 1969. The North American sunflowers (Helianthus). Mem. Torrey Bot. Club 22(3):154-157.
2	Cultivated					also cult.	FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
4	Naturalized	Northern America	Eastern Canada	Canada	Québec	s.	FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
4	Naturalized	Northern America	Northeastern U.S.A.	United States	Connecticut		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
4	Naturalized	Northern America	Northeastern U.S.A.	United States	Maine		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
4	Naturalized	Northern America	Northeastern U.S.A.	United States	Massachusetts		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
4	Naturalized	Northern America	Northeastern U.S.A.	United States	New Jersey		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
4	Naturalized	Northern America	Northeastern U.S.A.	United States	New York		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
4	Naturalized	Northern America	Northeastern U.S.A.	United States	Pennsylvania		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
4	Naturalized	Northern America	Northeastern U.S.A.	United States	West Virginia		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
4	Naturalized	Northern America	Northwestern U.S.A.	United States	Idaho		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
4	Naturalized	Northern America	Northwestern U.S.A.	United States	Washington		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
4	Naturalized	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Alabama		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
4	Naturalized	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Delaware		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
4	Naturalized	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	District of Columbia		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
4	Naturalized	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Kentucky		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
4	Naturalized	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Maryland		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
4	Naturalized	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Mississippi		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
4	Naturalized	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	North Carolina		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
4	Naturalized	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	South Carolina		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
4	Naturalized	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Tennessee		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
4	Naturalized	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Virginia		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
4	Naturalized	Northern America	Southwestern U.S.A.	United States	California		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
4	Naturalized	Northern America	Southwestern U.S.A.	United States	Utah		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.

Native
Northern America

EASTERN CANADA: Canada [Ontario]
WESTERN CANADA: Canada [Saskatchewan (s.), Alberta (s.), Manitoba (s.), British Columbia (s.)]
NORTHEASTERN U.S.A.: United States [Indiana, Michigan, Ohio]
NORTH-CENTRAL U.S.A.: United States [Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Wisconsin]
NORTHWESTERN U.S.A.: United States [Colorado (n.e.), Montana (e.), Wyoming (e.)]
SOUTHEASTERN U.S.A.: United States [Arkansas]
SOUTH-CENTRAL U.S.A.: United States [Texas]

Cultivated (also cult.)
Naturalized
Northern America

EASTERN CANADA: Canada [Québec (s.)]
NORTHEASTERN U.S.A.: United States [Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia]
NORTHWESTERN U.S.A.: United States [Idaho, Washington]
SOUTHEASTERN U.S.A.: United States [Alabama, Delaware, District of Columbia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia]
SOUTHWESTERN U.S.A.: United States [California, Utah]

Reference(s)

FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America.
Heiser, C. B., Jr. et al. 1969. The North American sunflowers (Helianthus). Mem. Torrey Bot. Club 22(3):154-157.

Economic Uses

Usage	Type	Note	Reference
Animal food	forage		Seiler, G. 1997. pers. comm. Note: re. common names
Animal food	forage		Asselin, S. R. et al. 2020. Genetic analysis of domestication parallels in annual and perennial sunflowers (Helianthus spp.): Routes to crop development. Front. Plant Sci. 11:834. DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.00834. Note: diploid (2n=17) Helianthus maximiliani is recognized as a potential perennial oilseed crop, in addition to several uses
Environmental	erosion control		Englert, J. M. et al. 1999-. USDA-NRCS Improved conservation plant materials released by NRCS and cooperators Note: lists as "maximiliani"
Environmental	ornamental		Heiser, C. B., Jr. et al. 1969. The North American sunflowers (Helianthus). Mem. Torrey Bot. Club 22(3):154-157.
Environmental	revegetator		Englert, J. M. et al. 1999-. USDA-NRCS Improved conservation plant materials released by NRCS and cooperators Note: lists as "maximiliani"
Environmental	revegetator		Braasch, J. E. et al. 2021. Testing for evolutionary change in restoration: A genomic comparison between ex situ, native, and commercial seed sources of Helianthus maximiliani. Evol. Applications 14:2206-2220. DOI: 10.1111/eva.13275. Note: perennial Helianthus maximiliani is used for grassland restoration in the U.S.A.
Environmental	wildlife habitat		Englert, J. M. et al. 1999-. USDA-NRCS Improved conservation plant materials released by NRCS and cooperators Note: lists as "maximiliani"
Human food	oil/fat	potential	Asselin, S. R. et al. 2020. Genetic analysis of domestication parallels in annual and perennial sunflowers (Helianthus spp.): Routes to crop development. Front. Plant Sci. 11:834. DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.00834. Note: diploid (2n=17) Helianthus maximiliani is recognized as a potential perennial oilseed crop, in addition to several uses

Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=27931. Accessed 1 May 2026.