From the Asteraceae family of flowers. Tithonia rotundifolia is the genus and species. Also known as the Golden Flower of the Aztecs. This sunflower is native to Florida, Louisiana, Mexico, Central America and the West Indies.¹

In the Florida sun, the 2-3 inch bright and gorgeous reddish-orange flowers shine. The lifespan of this rapid growing plant was shorter than I wanted–a very typical aster! It grew full size in almost 3 months and most flowers dropped their leaves in just a couple days.

Fairly large cultivar–almost 6 feet tall. Great for attracting butterflies, wasps, and bees, as long as you’re OK with sometimes running for cover when the over-sized yellow jackets are interested.

¹ wikipedia.org