Confederate daisy
Helianthus porteri (A.Gray) Pruski
Helianthus porteri, known as Confederate daisy, is a sunflower species native to the southeastern United States. It is found in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The species was first described in 1849 by Asa Gray as Rudbeckia porteri, later reclassified to the genus Helianthus by John F. Pruski in 1998. The name honors Thomas Conrad Porter, a 19th-century botanist and minister who collected the plant in Georgia.
Description
Helianthus porteri is a member of the Asteraceae family. It is sometimes called Porter's sunflower or Stone Mountain daisy, though the 'daisy' reference is not taxonomically accurate, as it belongs to the sunflower genus. The name 'Confederate daisy' is linked to Stone Mountain, Georgia, where a Confederate monument is located, but the species' range extends beyond that area. The plant was named in honor of Thomas Conrad Porter, a botanist and minister from Pennsylvania who collected the species in Georgia. The reclassification from Rudbeckia to Helianthus was made in 1998 by John F. Pruski.
Other common names
Porter's sunflowerConfederate daisy
Distribution
Alabama · Georgia · North Carolina · South Carolina
Synonyms
Rudbeckia porteriHelianthus porteriGymnolomia porteriViguiera porteriHeliomeris porteri
