The Sunflower

Helen Keller - "Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow. It's what sunflowers do."

    Sunflowers are annual plants that are native to the Americas. Their stems can grow to more than 10 feet high, and their flower heads can reach nearly 12 inches in diameter. The scientific name for sunflowers is Helianthus annus. More than sixty different varieties of sunflowers can be found around the world. Out of these, the most common one is bright yellow in colour, with a dark brown centre filled with seeds. The others include those in shades of orange, red, maroon and tan. Some varieties also have striped petals.

The head of the sunflower is not one flower; it is a head that contains many small flowers that are packed together tightly. The outer florets on the head, called ray florets, can be orange, maroon, yellow, or other colours. The florets inside the head are called disc florets. Many people call the disc florets sunflower seeds, though they are truly not seeds but the plant's fruit.

The first evidence of domestication of the sunflower as a crop comes from the region called Mesoamerica, as early as 2600 B.C. It has been found that the natives of this region consumed the seeds of the sunflower plant as they were rich in calcium. The first European recorded to encounter the sunflower is Francisco Pizarro when he travelled to Peru. The Incas, the Otomi and Aztecs used the flower as the symbol of their sun god. By the 16th century, sunflower seeds were being shipped into Europe, as well as gold figurines of the flower. Sunflower oil became popular during the 18th century, especially among the Russian Orthodox Church, because it was a type of oil that was not prohibited from being used during Lent.                                                                

Commercial planters plant the seeds 1.5 feet apart and to a depth of one inch. Sunflowers grow best in full sun in well-drained soil rich with organic matter such as mulch. Home growers can plant them as they wish, either as individual plants or in groups.

    Sunflowers have always fascinated the creative minds throughout the world. We have all sorts of poetry, prose, paintings, and the like, which depict and describe the sunflower in numerous different ways. The famous Dutch painter Van Gogh was so amazed by its beauty that he created two series of paintings depicting sunflowers in various contexts. Such is the magic of this wonderful creation of God, that whoever sees it once, simply falls in love with it.