Birth flower for August 17
Mexican sunflower
Meaning: Elegance, brilliance
The genus is named after Tithonus, the mortal lover of Eos, goddess of the dawn, fitting for petals the color of sunrise. A tell-tale feature is the stem just below each flower, which swells into a hollow, club-like stalk. Butterflies flock to it. In Taiwan, the yellow wild sunflower that lines mountain roads in winter is a close relative, Tithonia diversifolia.