Taxon Report

Helianthus winteri J.C. Stebbins

Winter's sunflower

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Helianthus winteri, commonly known as Winter's sunflower, is a perennial shrub in the Asteraceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Cismontane woodland, and Valley and foothill grassland, growing at elevations from 125 to 460 meters. Helianthus winteri is ranked 1B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Helianthus winteri J.C. Stebbins
Common Name:	Winter's sunflower
Family:	Asteraceae
Element Code:	PDAST4N260
USDA Plants Symbol:
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial shrub
Blooming Period: Jan-Dec	Jan-Dec
Elevation:	125-460 (410-1510)
General Habitats:	Cismontane woodland, Valley and foothill grassland
Microhabitat:	Granitic, Openings, Roadsides (often), Rocky (often), Slopes
Microhabitat Details:	relatively steep south-facing slopes

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.2
Global Rank:	G2?
State Rank:	S2?
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	BLM_S; SB_CalBG/RSABG
CRPR Changes:	added to 1B.2 on 2014-10-15

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	55
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	11
Good (B)	36
Fair (C)	4
Poor (D)	1
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	3

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Fresno (FRE), Tulare (TUL)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Auckland (3611951), Ivanhoe (3611942), Orange Cove North (3611963), Orange Cove South (3611953), Pine Flat Dam (3611973), Stokes Mtn. (3611952), Tucker Mtn. (3611962), Wahtoke (3611964), Woodlake (3611941)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	6
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	14	25 %
Foot traffic/trampling	6	10%
Grazing	4	7%
Agriculture	4	7%
Road/trail construction/maint.	2	3%
Non-native plant impacts	2	3%
Recreational use (non-ORV)	1	1%

Notes



See Aliso 31:19-24 (2013) for original description, and International Journal of Plant Sciences 174(7):1079-1089 (2013) for life history information.
Threats:
Threatened by grazing, agriculture, road maintenance, and habitat loss.
Taxonomy:
First year growth nearly indistinguishable from H. annuus; mostly distinguished from H. annuus in having woody stems, year-round blooming period, and dark purplish buds and phyllaries.

Selected References

CRPR List Addition on 2014-10-15

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 11 November 2025].