During the annual Bua Thong Flower Blooming Season on Mae U Ko mountain in Mae Hong Son, the local Hmong people often grow fields with spider-shaped, white to pink-purple phak siang farang flowers (fig.), next to the millions of yellow Bua Thong flowers (fig.).

Whereas the Mexican sunflower is a perennial plant, the spider plant is an annual plant that grows to a height of 1,5 meter and has spirally arranged palmate leaves.

The Spider Flower has four petals and six long stamens and is commonly cultivated as an ornamental plant, whereas the Mexican sunflower grows mainly in the wild.