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Tithonia rotundifolia

 
Tithonia rotundifolia
Mexican sunflower

Common name Mexican sunflower
Family asteraceae
Life cycle annual
Flowers orange
Size 4 ft
Light sun
Cultural notes ordinary garden soil
From seed Germinate at warm temperature (75F)
detailed seed-starting info below
Seed ripenslate September

Covered in orange daisies mid-summer through fall. One of our favorite large annuals. The first year we grew it was the year Amy and I got married in our back yard, in September. Our guests walked through the side garden (which was new at the time) to the back yard. I scrupulously dead-headed all flowers that summer, hoping for lots of blooms on the big day. And the one I tended to most was the tithonia, which attained a majestic stature and was full of flowers the whole summer. It didn't disappoint us on the day of the wedding!
It's a favorite of insect life, too, as you can see in the closeup photo.

This plant used to grow in our garden, but it slipped away...

One or more images of this plant are included in my stock photo catalog

About my plant portraits
PlantLinks to other web pages about Tithonia rotundifolia


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Seed-starting details for this plant

  1. Seed from '00 garden. Baggy 70F (62%G)
  2. Seed from '00 garden. Baggy 75F (93%G, 2d)
  3. Seed from '02 garden. Baggy 75F (60%G, 2-5d)
  4. Seed from '03 garden. Baggy 75F (94%G, 3d)
  5. Same seed as above. Baggy 75F (90%G, 2-5d)
  6. Seed from '07 garden. Baggy 75F (75%G, 3d)
  7. Seed from '06 garden. Baggy 75F (77%G, 3-5d)
  8. Seed from '09 garden. Baggy 75F (100%G, 3d)
  9. Seed from '10 garden. Baggy 75F (50%G, 2-4d)
  10. Seed from '11 garden. Baggy 75F (86%G, 3-5d)
  11. Seed from '11 garden. Baggy 75F (100%G, 2-4d)
  12. Seed from '09/'10 garden. Baggy 75F (some G, not as strong as usual: seed is too old)

Quick to germinate, but also quick to deteriorate in baggy - needs to be potted up within a day or two after sprouting.


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