Oregon Sunshine / Wooly Sunflower Seeds (Eriophyllum lanatum)

A cheerful drought-hardy plant for dry sites and hot summers!

Oregon sunshine, also known as wooly sunflower, is unique for being native to both sides of the Cascades. This compact, summer-blooming plant has a clumping growth habit and typically only reaches about a foot in height. It’s a variable plant in terms of foliage, with the leaves of some plants being a deep true green while others are covered with fine soft gray hairs. Regardless of individual foliage variations, the plant produces incredibly cheerful masses of bright yellow flowers which makes this a great plant for both meadows and for formal flowerbeds. Its brilliance will outshine any non-native ornamental you plant it next to!

Oregon sunshine is under-appreciated and under-used in harsh dry sites where other plants struggle. It’s perfect for rock gardens and xeriscaping, and it’s a good colonizer if disturbed sites such as excavated, burned, or backfilled areas with marginal topsoil. While it is slow to mature from seed, it is a long-lived plant, it’s deer-resistant, and it’s ready for the some of the harshest climate conditions any plant in our region might someday face. A perfect plant for an uncertain future.

The long-lasting blooms attract bees, butterflies, and beneficial syrphid flies. The foliage is also a host plant for caterpillars of the painted lady butterfly (Vanessa cardui).

Approximately 1500 to 2000 seeds (0.5 grams).