Heliantheae

Heliantheae
The Heliantheae (sometimes called the sunflower tribe) are the third-largest tribe in the sunflower family (Asteraceae). With some 190 genera and nearly 2500 recognized species, only the tribes Senecioneae and Astereae are larger. The name is derived from the genus Helianthus, which is Greek for sun flower. Most genera and species are found in North America (particularly in Mexico) and South America. A few genera are pantropical.
Most Heliantheae are herbs or shrubs, but some grow to the size of small trees. Leaves are usually hairy and arranged in opposite pairs. The anthers are usually blackened.
The above statements about the size and distribution of the tribe apply to a broad definition of Heliantheae, which was followed throughout the 20th century. Some recent authors break the tribe up into a dozen or so smaller tribes.
Uses
Commercially important plants in the Heliantheae include sunflower and Jerusalem artichoke. Many garden flowers are also in this group, such as Coreopsis, Cosmos, Echinacea, Rudbeckia, and Zinnia. Some authors place Coreopsis and Cosmos in the Coreopsideae tribe.
In addition to the benefits brought by the group, some are also problematic weeds. Species of Ambrosia (ragweed) produce large quantities of pollen. Each plant is reputed to be able to produce about a billion grains of pollen over a season, and the plant is wind-pollinated.
Taxonomy
The traditional circumscription of the Heliantheae arises from Cassini's 19th-century classification of the Asteraceae. This broad group been divided by some authors into smaller tribes: Bahieae, Chaenactideae, Coreopsideae, Helenieae, Heliantheae sensu stricto, Madieae, Millerieae, Perityleae, Polymnieae, and Tageteae. Because the Eupatorieae originated from within the Heliantheae (broadly defined), to maintain monophyletic taxa it is necessary to either make Eupatorieae a subtribe within Heliantheae or to split the Heliantheae into smaller tribes. Such classifications may define a supertribe Helianthodae including these smaller tribes, the Eupatorieae, and a few other tribes such as Inuleae.
Subtribes and genera
Heliantheae subtribes and genera recognized by the Global Compositae Database as of May 2022:
Subtribe Ambrosiinae
Ambrosia
Dicoria
Euphrosyne
Hedosyne
Iva
Parthenice
Parthenium
Xanthium
Subtribe Chromolepidinae
Chromolepis
Subtribe Dugesiinae
Dugesia
Subtribe Ecliptinae
Aspilia
Baltimora
Blainvillea
Calyptocarpus
Clibadium
Damnxanthodium
Delilia
Dimerostemma
Eclipta
Elaphandra
Eleutheranthera
Exomiocarpon
Fenixia
Hoffmanniella
Idiopappus
Iogeton
Jefea
Kingianthus
Lantanopsis
Lasianthaea
Leptocarpha
Lipochaeta
Lundellianthus
Melanthera
Monactis
Oblivia
Otopappus
Oyedaea
Pascalia
Pentalepis
Perymeniopsis
Perymenium
Plagiolophus
Podanthus
Rensonia
Riencourtia
Schizoptera
Sphagneticola
Steiractinia
Synedrella
Synedrellopsis
Tilesia
Trigonopterum
Tuberculocarpus
Tuxtla
Wamalchitamia
Wedelia
Wollastonia
Zexmenia
Zyzyxia
Subtribe Enceliinae
Encelia
Enceliopsis
Flourensia
Geraea
Helianthella
Subtribe Engelmanniinae
Agnorhiza
Berlandiera
Borrichia
Chrysogonum
Engelmannia
Lindheimera
Silphium
Vigethia
Wyethia
Subtribe Helianthinae
Aldama
Alvordia
Bahiopsis
Calanticaria
Davilanthus
Helianthus
Heliomeris
Hymenostephium
Iostephane
Lagascea
Pappobolus
Phoebanthus
Rhysolepis
Scalesia
Sclerocarpus
Simsia
Stuessya
Syncretocarpus
Tithonia
Viguiera
Subtribe Montanoinae
Montanoa
Subtribe Rojasianthinae
Rojasianthe
Subtribe Rudbeckiinae
Ratibida
Rudbeckia
Subtribe Spilanthinae
Acmella
Oxycarpha
Salmea
Spilanthes
Tetranthus
Subtribe Verbesininae
Podachaenium
Squamopappus
Tetrachyron
Verbesina
Subtribe Zaluzaniinae
Hybridella
Zaluzania
Subtribe Zinniinae
Echinacea
Heliopsis
Philactis
Sanvitalia
Tehuana
Trichocoryne
Zinnia
References
Bibliography
Bremer, Kåre. (1994). Asteraceae: Cladistics & Classification. Portland, OR: Timber Press. .
Robinson, Harold Ernest. (1981). A Revision of the Tribal and Subtribal Limits of the Heliantheae (Asteraceae). Smithsonian Contributions to Botany: 51.
Strother, John L. (1991). Taxonomy of Complaya, Elaphandra, Iogeton, Jefea, Wamalchitamia, Wedelia, Zexmenia, and Zyzyxia (Compositae - Heliantheae - Ecliptinae). Systematic Botany Monographs: 33.
External links
Asteraceae tribes