Sunflowers (Helianthus) are one of my favorite annuals. Not only do they provide food for animals and humans alike, they bring sparkle-joy to us with their rich colors of yellow, brown and russetts and cheerfully bobbing heads. Sunflowers are the only flower with “flower” in it’s name, Helia-sun, Anthus-flower. They are a symbol of faith, loyalty, and adoration.
A sunflower head is made up of 1000-2000 individual flowers which develop into seeds and are joined at the base of the stalk. The large petals on the outside do not develop into seeds. For you Math people, the spiral formation of the seeds almost always follows the Fibinacci Sequence. They follow the movement of the sun across the sky from east to west in a process called Heliotropism. Sunflowers are one of the fastest growing and tallest plants in the world shooting up to 8-12 feet in six months. Sunflower oil is used for softening leather, hair conditioner, wounds, cooking oil, medicine paint, animal feed and bio-diesel.
Consider adding this wonderful plant to your garden along with other members of the sunflower family such as daisies, yarrow, asters, coreopsis, and batchelor buttons. You won’t be sorry.
Sources: Sue Becker, Bedford Extension Master Gardener and www.spinfold.com/20-facts-about-sunflowers