helianthus

American  

[hee-lee-an-thuhs] / ˌhi liˈæn θəs /

noun

plural

helianthuses

1. any composite plant of the genus Helianthus, comprising the sunflowers.

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helianthus British  

/ ˌhiːlɪˈænθəs /

noun

1. any plant of the genus Helianthus, such as the sunflower and Jerusalem artichoke, typically having large yellow daisy-like flowers with yellow, brown, or purple centres: family Asteraceae (composites)

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Other Word Forms

• helianthaceous adjective

Etymology

Origin of helianthus

From New Latin, dating back to 1770–80; see origin at heli- ¹, -anthous

Example Sentences

Sprays of helianthus dripped yellow pollen along the front gate.

From Washington Post • Sep. 3, 2021

Another gap can be plugged in late summer with the planting of the helianthus species — the hardy, perennial cousins of the giant sunflower and the wood aster.

From Washington Post • Apr. 27, 2021

But none of the eighteen species of helianthus found south of our borders produces under cultivation the great plants that stand like a golden-helmeted phalanx in every old-fashioned garden at the North.

From Wild Flowers An Aid to Knowledge of Our Wild Flowers and Their Insect Visitors by Blanchan, Neltje

This last is a species of the helianthus, or sunflower genus of the Syngenesia frustranea class of plants.

From Gryll Grange by Peacock, Thomas Love

And some day, from these castles in the clouds he comes—these day-dreams, golden as the dawn, become the halo of a mortal man, to whom her heart turns as the helianthus to the sun.

From Brann the Iconoclast — Volume 12 by Brann, William Cowper