Mexican Sunflower: Mexican Sunflower
(Tithonia diversifolia)
Mexican sunflower is a woody perennial with showy yellow flowers growing to 3 m in height. It can be used as an ornamental, a hedge, a compost ingredient, a fodder, a green manure, and a soil erosion control. Mexican sunflower is known to be efficient in extracting phosphorus from the soil. Green leaves, collected before they fall to the ground as leaf litter, contain about 3.5% nitrogen, 0.37% phosphorus, and 4.1% potassium. T. diversifolia is sensitive to freezing temperatures.
CAUTION: We caution against planting Tithonia where it does not already exist as it can become weedy.