Tithonia fruticosa      
Mexican sunflower    
Asteraceae Family     

Tithonia fruticosa

Form: shrub
Seasonality: perennial
Size: 9-12ft high with equal spread; fast growth
Leaves: large, pointed, 3-4in long, velvety
Flowers: orange-yellow, 4in in diameter; constantly in bloom
Fruit: seeds
Stems/Trunks: soft, hollow, thick, brittle
Range/Origin: low SW deserts
Hardiness: 32°F; frost tender

LANDSCAPE VALUE:

• fast grower
• flowers during hottest season

CULTURAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Exposure: sun; protect from winds
• Water: every week or two for continued bloom
• Soil: best in amended; deep enough for rooting
• Propagation: seeds and clump division
• Maintenance: deadhead blooms regularly; cut back and end of winter and remove any seed heads

bloom

leaf detail

Research by Master Gardener Pat Perry

NOTES:

Not attractive in winter even without frost. Remove seed heads for more attractive winter look.
Frost kills new growth and flowers.
Soft hollow stems break easily in wind.
Soft growth and big flowers give effect of giant perennial rather than true shrub.

return to common name index				return to Botanical name index
	browse by common name				browse by botanical name

This page was first created July 4, 2004 and last modified March 16, 2006.

---

Web page design and photographs by Toni Moore, Master Gardener
email to: tmoore1@flash.net

© 2004 - 2006 Arizona Board of Regents. All contents copyrighted. All rights reserved.