ABSTRACT
"Sunflowers" is a botanical term which commonly refers to one or more of the 50 species and 19 subspecies of Helianthus that grows throughout the United States and into southern Canada and northern Mexico. Helianthus annuus is an extremely variable and widely distributed species that crosses with 19 species of Helianthus. All species of Helianthus have phytoaelanin-rich pericarp, although the characteristic appears to not be present in all populations of a species. Host resistance via incorporation of germplasm from wild Helianthus offers a tremendous potential for long-lasting, economical management of several insect pests of cultivated sunflower. For the short term it appears that if entomologists would become familiar with the bionomics of pests on their native Helianthus hosts, much could be learned about ecologically sound management of insects on cultivated sunflower. Several species of Lepidoptera use wild sunflowers as a host and attack cultivated sunflower.
