Interesting facts about sunflowers

We always aim to brighten up your day as much our sunflowers like to shine. Here are some interesting facts about them.

1 – Each sunflower is actually thousands of teeny flowers
The blossom of the sunflower is called a head. The yellow petals and
fuzzy brown centers are actually individual flowers themselves. As
many as 2,000 can make up the sunflower bloom. The petals we see on
the outside of the bloom are called ray florets. The centers of the bloom are called disc
florets, this is where the seeds develop.

2 – Each sunflower can contain as many as 1,000 to 2,000 seeds
Sunflower seeds develop in the middle section of the flower called the ovary. Sunflower seeds are
used to grow the flowers but they are also used as food for birds and humans. You can
harvest and roast them for a healthy snack.

3 – There are about 70 species of sunflowers
Their scientific name is Helianthus (which comes from the Greek words for “sun” and “flower”). Sunflowers can be different shapes, and some can be tall while others are short. The shortest sunflowers
are called dwarfs and usually grow in clusters. Sunflowers can even be different colors.
Yellow is the most common but there are also red, orange and purple sunflowers.

4 – The tallest sunflower on record was over 30 feet tall
In the summer of 2014, the tallest sunflower ever recorded was grown in Germany and measured 30 feet, 1
inch. This was confirmed by Guinness World Records on August, 28 2014.

5 – Sunflowers track the sun
The French word for sunflower is “tournesol” which means turns with the sun. Young sunflowers track the sun, which is referred to as heliotropism. At sunrise, the flower buds and young blossoms will face east and follow the sun during the day. At sunset, the bloom will be facing the west. However, as the flower grows, the head of the plant becomes heavier and the blossom will
generally stay facing east.

6 – Sunflowers are a multi-purpose plant
Sunflowers seeds are a healthy snack, they can produce a useful oil, and provide a nutritious food for birds. Sunflowers have been found to be good at absorbing toxins, too. Millions were planted after the devastating Fukushima nuclear power plant accident in Japan.

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