What Are the Dangers of the Ox-Eye False Sunflower?

Appearance

• The ox-eye false sunflower, a short-lived perennial, blooms continuously from June to October. Also known as the sweet ox-eye or the yellow ox-eye, its branching stems are smooth but covered with deltoid-shaped, toothed leaves, crowned by the large yellow bloom with its separate sunflower "rays." The ox-eye false sunflower grows in colonies in its native prairies, not as single plants.

Habitat

• The ox-eye false sunflower thrives in poor soil, preferring neutral to slightly acidic conditions. Throughout Iowa, Missouri and Illinois, the ox-eye false sunflower is found in all types of area habitats, from its native prairies to woods and thickets. It is often seen along roadsides or railways. The Natural Resources Conservation Service recommends its use by private and public agencies for planting in critical areas, recreation sites, roadside re-vegetation and parks, and for use in wildlife habitats and prairie restoration projects.

Gardening

• For Midwesterners gardening with native plants, the ox-eye false sunflower is one of the earliest types of sunflowers to make its appearance, blooming in late spring or early summer. With a brown central disc, resembling the soft eye of an ox, the plant grows as high as 4 ft., with a 3.5-inch flower head. Other than the sharp leaf stems, it holds no danger to children or pets, and wildlife feed off it.

Sunflower Seed Cultivation

• Ox-eye false sunflower seeds are as edible as those of any other sunflower. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it averages 139,000 seeds per pound in production agriculture, with yields ranging from 250 lbs. to 400 lbs. an acre on non-irrigated fields. It boasts high seedling vigor, with easily established stands "readily harvested with a combine." The USDA recommends a seeding rate of 40 live seeds in 30-inch rows for sunflower seed production.