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Desert Sunflower

Flower type: Perennial (Stores water in its stem)

This average-sized flower grows up to 1.3 feet (41 cm) tall. Its orange stem is wispy, and the large, orange-yellow leaves are very narrow and elongated with irregular edges. The leaves alternate on the stem.

2 to 6 small flowers grow on alternate sides up the length of the stem. The flowers are 24 cm (9.4 inches) wide, with petals that are generally dark yellow; each flower tends to be a variation of this colour. The flower head is largely flat with 56 raised narrow petals. They are hardy.

It has a mildly strong scent that smells like citrus, and it has lots of pollen,but it does not cause many allergic reactions. It is a self-pollinator, but is also particularly attractive to bees.

It aggressively steals nutrients from other large plants (but not each other).
It is suitable for making strong rope