I like sunflowers. Whenever I see one I think of summer and sunshine. They’re a happy flower, and they make me smile. October is the recommended month to plant sunflower seeds in New Zealand. I need to hurry up!
1. The scientific name for sunflowers is Helianthus. It comes from two words — Helios meaning sun, and Anthos, meaning flower. The sunflower often tracks the sun’s movement, a phenomenon known as heliotropism.
2. A sunflower is one of the few cultivated plants native to North America. It is believed that wild sunflowers covered thousands of square miles of land that is now the western United States. Sunflower remains have been found in North American archaeological sites dating from as early as 3,000 B.C. The center of origin for wild sunflowers is considered to be the Western Plains of North America, but the ancestors of the cultivated type have been traced to the Southwest or the Missouri-Mississippi River valley areas. The first breeders of sunflowers appear to be the Ozark Bluff dwellers who selected plants and seed for cultivation.
3. Early American natives used the sunflower before corn and beans were introduced to America. They ate the seeds, ground the small kernels into flour, extracted oil from seeds for their hair, and used the seeds, flower petals, and pollen to make dyes for face paint, cloths and baskets.
4. The tallest sunflower grown on record was 25 feet tall and was grown in the Netherlands.
5. The largest sunflower head on record measured 32 1/2 inches across its widest point and was grown in Canada.
6. The shortest mature sunflower on record was just over 2 inches tall and was grown in Oregon using the Bonsai technique.
7. Sunflowers grown in home gardens are divided into two categories – Helianthus and edible seed types. Helianthus are grown for their decorative flowers. They come in many colors and sizes. Gardeners can choose a dwarf (15 inches high) fully double, golden chrysanthemum type, or a 4 foot pure yellow or white Helianthus with shades of primrose. The tallest Helianthus, 5 to 6 feet, provides the widest color range – yellow, gold, bronze, mahogany red, and bicolor blooms. These flowers do produce seeds if left on the plant, but they are small and probably best left for wildlife.
8. The most widely grown variety for edible seeds is Mammoth. First offered in the 1880s by a U.S. seed catalog, it was listed as Mammoth Russian. One of the tallest sunflowers, Mammoth is most often used to produce prize-winning seed heads. New cultivars have been introduced that are shorter (only 6 feet), earlier (68 days), and that have been bred for disease tolerance.
9. Healthy, natural sunflower oil is produced from oil type sunflower seeds. Sunflower oil is light in taste and appearance and supplies more Vitamin E than any other vegetable oil. It is a combination of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats with low saturated fat levels.
10. Sunflowers are a great choice for planting to attract birds to your yard.
11. Sunflowers are one of the fastest growing plants. They can grow 8 to 12 feet tall in rich soil within six months.
12. Sunflower heads consist of 1,000 to 2,000 individual flowers joined together by a receptacle base. The large petals around the edge of a sunflower head are individual ray flowers which do not develop into seed.
13. The former Soviet Union grows the most sunflowers. The sunflower is the national flower of Russia.
This photo was taken during our recent trip to the US, in Oregon, I think from memory.
And this photo was taken at our local botanical gardens.
What are your favorite flowers?
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November 6th, 2008 at 3:40 am · Link
You know, I don’t think I really have a favorite flower… But if pressed, I’d probably say the Poppy – they show up in the strangest places, over here, and give such vibrant color when you least expect it. :)
Happy TT!
Ciao!
November 6th, 2008 at 5:15 am · Link
Sunflowers make me think of my mother’s kitchen as iI was growing up.
http://talesfromthecrit.wordpress.com/
November 6th, 2008 at 5:42 am · Link
My girls came home from school one year with a sunflower seed to plant. They were having a competition at school to see who grew the biggest sunflower. Unfortunately, wild rabbits love sunflowers and their flowers made a tasty snack for one of them. The girls were hearrbroken. Awww lol
Great list., Happy T13!
November 6th, 2008 at 6:10 am · Link
Great list Shelley. I love sunflowers too. :) Happy Thursday! *hugs*
November 6th, 2008 at 7:22 am · Link
That’s amazing that the most sunflowers are grown in the former Soviet Union! I wouldn’t have thought that.
I love this TT Shelley.
November 6th, 2008 at 7:39 am · Link
My grand parents had sunflowers planted along their road and black eyed susans in the field. It was always fun to walk there.
November 6th, 2008 at 10:45 am · Link
My favourites from childhood are pansies, with their little cheerful faces.
November 6th, 2008 at 11:49 am · Link
Great TT, Shelley! One of the most amazing sights I’ve ever seen was driving through South Dakota one summer and coming upon a field of sunflowers–just acres and acres of them as far as you could see. It was breathtaking!
Favorite flowers: Daffodils, mums, pink roses, lilacs.
November 6th, 2008 at 12:01 pm · Link
Cool facts! I love flowers!
*hugs*
Paige
My TT is at http://tinyurl.com/4zejcp
November 6th, 2008 at 2:06 pm · Link
Oh Shelley, I love sunflowers too! I was driving by a field of them just last week, but here in Canada it is not the time anymore, and they were all brown and wilting. I can’t wait for the height of summer, when they are standing tall and bright yellow under the warm sun.
November 6th, 2008 at 8:03 pm · Link
There’s nothing prettier than fields of sunflowers. When we visited Turkey a few years ago we saw lots of sunflower fields.
November 6th, 2008 at 9:39 pm · Link
My favorite is sweet alyssum because it smells do good.
Happy TT.
Janice~
November 7th, 2008 at 5:29 pm · Link
I LOVE sunflowers! Very interesting facts you’ve posted.
Paz