HELIANTHUS WINTERI (ASTERACEAE), A NEW PERENNIAL SPECIES FROM THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA FOOTHILLS, CALIFORNIA

Abstract

Helianthus winteri is described from Fresno and Tulare Counties in the southern Sierra Nevada foothills of California. It is distinguished from H. annuus by its woody trunk, year-round blooming, and morphological characteristics. It occurs in open, ungrazed foothill woodlands and annual grasslands on well-drained, granitic soils, generally on lower-elevation, south-facing foothill slopes east of the San Joaquin Valley.