Unknown Plant – Sunflower

(Question)

Attached are pictures of Plants –

Is this a plant or a weed. If a plant what is it and does it
flower.

(Answer)

 

Thanks for getting in touch with Toronto Master Gardeners.  This is probably a type of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.).  It is a crop species that originated in North America. The sunflower was cultivated by indigenous people as early as 3000 B.C. It is an annual herb with a rough hairy stem 1–4.5 metres (3–15 feet) high and broad, coarsely toothed, rough leaves 7.5–30 cm (3–12 inches). The flowers are 7.5–15 cm wide in wild specimens and often 30 cm or more in cultivated types. The colours of the flowers include: brown, yellow, or purple. Sunflower will grow in a wide range of soil types from sands to clays and of course need plenty of sun.

For more information please see:

https://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/afcm/sunflower.html

https://www.britannica.com/plant/sunflower-plant#ref1259863

https://www.purdue.edu/hla/sites/yardandgarden/celebrate-the-year-of-the-sunflower/

https://www.sunflowernsa.com/all-about/history/