| genus helianthus | (n) genus of tall erect or branched American annual or perennial herbs with showy flowers: sunflowers |
| common sunflower | (n) annual sunflower grown for silage and for its seeds which are a source of oil; common throughout United States and much of North America, Syn. Helianthus annuus, mirasol |
| giant sunflower | (n) very tall American perennial of central and the eastern United States to Canada having edible tuberous roots, Syn. Indian potato, tall sunflower, Helianthus giganteus |
| jerusalem artichoke | (n) tall perennial with hairy stems and leaves; widely cultivated for its large irregular edible tubers, Syn. Helianthus tuberosus, girasol, Jerusalem artichoke sunflower |
| maximilian's sunflower | (n) tall perennial of central United States to Canada having golden-yellow flowers, Syn. Helianthus maximilianii |
| prairie sunflower | (n) similar to the common sunflower with slender usually branching stems common in central United States, Syn. Helianthus petiolaris |
| showy sunflower | (n) tall rough-leaved perennial with a few large flower heads; central United States, Syn. Helianthus laetiflorus |
| sunflower | (n) any plant of the genus Helianthus having large flower heads with dark disk florets and showy yellow rays, Syn. helianthus |
| swamp sunflower | (n) sunflower of eastern North America having narrow leaves and found in bogs, Syn. Helianthus angustifolius |