Helianthus - Sunflower is a genus comprising about 70 species of annual and perennial flowering plants in the daisy family Asteraceae commonly known as sunflowers.Except for three South American species, the species of Helianthus are native to North America and Central America. The best-known species is the common sunflower (Helianthus annuus), whose round flower heads in combination with the ligules look like the Sun. This and other species, notably Jerusalem artichoke (H. tuberosus), are culti