The sunflower story begins in prehistoric times in North America when the Indians found these seeds to be a rich source of food. After the discovery of America, the sunflower went to
Europe, where it was received with much excitement. In Russia, it was cultivated and improved and eventually returned to the United States as the giant single-headed cultivated sunflower.
Weed sunflowers are common in North America growing along roadsides and in vacant fields. There are sixty-seven species and many more varieties.
The sunflower is not a single flower at all, but a whole bouquet. Examine it closely and you will find that there are perhaps a hundred or more small flowers packed together in a structure known as a head. On the outside of the head is a series of greenish bracts called phyllaries (little leaves). Next to the phyllaries are the ray flowers (sometimes called petals by the uninitiated). Normally ray flowers produce seeds, but the ray of the sunflower is sterile and serves only to attract insects.
The flowers in the center of the head, called disk flowers, are smaller and quite different in shape from the ray flowers. They are "perfect" flowers, meaning that they have both male and female producing parts. To prevent inbreeding, the pollen producing structure (the anther) forms a tube around the style of the pistil. The pollen is shed to the inside of this tube, and as the style grows, it pushes the pollen out the top. The pollen is then ready to be picked up by any insects that happen to visit the flower.
Once the style has pushed the pollen out by its piston-like action, it splits open, exposing the stigmatic surface, which thus far has remained virgin but is now ready to receive pollen. Any insect coming from another flower will brush against the stigma depositing pollen and thus bringing about cross-pollination. Each disk flower that is pollinated will produce one "seed" called an achene.
One of the chief virtues of sunflowers is the ease with which they can be grown. Nearly all species, once successful germination has been accomplished, will do well in a variety of garden soils.
FAQs
Overview. Helianthus annuus is a coarse, hairy, leafy, fast growing annual that grows from 5-10 ft (1.5-3 m) tall on stiff upright stalks. It is native to dry plains, prairies, meadows and foothills in the western U. S., Canada and northern Mexico.
What are the 7 levels of classification for a sunflower? ›
The taxonomic hierarchy of sunflower is Kingdom – Plantae, Phylum/ Division – Tracheophyta, Subdivision – Spermatophyta, Class – Magnoliopsida, Order – Asterales, Family – Asteraceae, Genus – Helianthus, Species – annus.
What is the rarest sunflower in the world? ›
Habitat. Schweinitz's sunflower is only found in the Piedmont region of North and South Carolina. The sunflower is generally found growing on shallow, poor, clayey, and/or rocky soils.
How do you take care of a sunflower Helianthus? ›
Sunflower Care. Sunflowers are low-maintenance and drought-tolerant flowers that grow in most soil conditions. Provide flowers with plenty of daily sunlight, whether in a garden or containers, for at least six to eight hours. If growing sunflowers in a container, provide enough drainage and loose soil.
Why are sunflowers so special? ›
One of the most widely recognized symbolic meanings of sunflowers is their association with positivity and joy. The bright yellow petals and the sun-like appearance of the flower evoke feelings of happiness and warmth. Sunflowers bouquets have the power to uplift our spirits and bring a sense of optimism to any space.
How tall can sunflowers grow? ›
Sunflowers come in an amazing variety of sizes and colors. On one end, some varieties grow as tall as 15 feet, with flower heads larger than a foot in diameter. On the other, smaller varieties are only 1-2 feet tall. In the middle are medium-height varieties that stand 5-6 feet tall with heads 8-10 inches across.
Where do sunflowers grow naturally? ›
Common Sunflower is an open land species, generally on moist soils. It is a species of prairies and other grasslands, old fields, roadsides, railroad rights-of-way, savannas, and forest edge. It is found across the conterminous U.S., but probably is native to the central and southern portion of the range and Mexico.
Is a sunflower annual or perennial? ›
Plant Type: Sunflowers are predominantly annual plants, completing their life cycle in one season. However, there are also perennial varieties. They are primarily known for their use in ornamental gardens and agricultural settings for seed production.
Are pink sunflowers real? ›
Sunflower colors range from cream to gold, yellow, orange, red, mahogany and chocolate brown. There are even pink sunflowers, but if you see blue sunflower seeds for sale, be wary. There's a deep, dark red hybrid that some gardeners consider purple, but there aren't any blue sunflowers in nature.
Are blue sunflowers real? ›
There are no blue sunflowers. garden that look like that that's amazing! and yellow mix.
We'd like to make it easy for your to remember - that's why we've created this page as your go-to guide on how to pro-long the life of your cut sunflowers. With proper care, sunflowers should last up to 2 weeks!
Do sunflower Helianthus come back every year? ›
While most varieties of this bright beauty are annual sunflowers, meaning they will not come back the following growing season, they may self-germinate from dropped seeds if you leave the heads on the plants throughout the winter. The perennial Maximillian sunflower features small blooms in late summer and early fall.
How tall do Helianthus get? ›
Helianthus annuus is native to dry plains, prairies, meadows and foothills in the western U.S., Canada and northern Mexico. It is a coarse, hairy, leafy, fast-growing annual that typically grows 5-10' tall on stiff upright stalks.
Do you cut back Helianthus? ›
You can cut down perennial sunflowers to the base when they die back in late autumn, as they don't produce many seeds. Alternatively, you can leave the stems in place over winter to provide valuable shelter for insects and other small creatures.
What are the characteristics of a sunflower tree? ›
The common sunflower (H. annuus) is an annual herb with a rough hairy stem 1–4.5 metres (3–15 feet) high and broad, coarsely toothed, rough leaves 7.5–30 cm (3–12 inches) long arranged in spirals. The attractive heads of flowers are 7.5–15 cm wide in wild specimens and often 30 cm or more in cultivated types.
What characteristics of life does a sunflower have? ›
Overall, the characteristic of life that sunflowers exhibit is that they are living organisms that are composed of cells, exhibit organization, utilize energy, maintain homeostasis, grow and develop, and reproduce.
What are the special features of the sunflower sea star? ›
Cool facts
Juvenile sunflower stars start life with five arms — by maturity they have up to 24 arms. Most sea stars have a one-piece, semirigid skeleton. However, the sunflower star's skeleton has a few disconnected pieces. They allow the sunstar's mouth to open wide and its body to enlarge and take in big prey.
What characteristic makes sunflowers unique? ›
Each sunflower's head is made of smaller flowers. The petals we see around the outside are called ray florets, and they cannot reproduce. But the disc florets in the middle, where the seeds develop, have both male and female sex organs, and each produce a seed.
The sunflower story begins in prehistoric times in North America when the Indians found these seeds to be a rich source of food. After the discovery of America, the sunflower went to Europe, where it was received with much excitement. In Russia, it was cultivated and improved and eventually returned to the United States as the giant single-headed cultivated sunflower.
