Common sunflower

The plant has an erect rough-hairy stem, reaching typical heights of . The tallest sunflower on record achieved . Sunflower leaves are broad, coarsely toothed, rough and mostly alternate; those near the bottom are largest and commonly heart-shaped. Flower The plant flowers in summer. What is often called the "flower" of the sunflower is actually a "flower head" (pseudanthium), wide, This old misconception was disputed in 1597 by the English botanist John Gerard, who grew sunflowers in his famous herbal garden: "[some] have reported it to turn with the Sun, the which I could never observe, although I have endeavored to find out the truth of it." The uniform alignment of sunflower heads in a field might give some people the false impression that the flowers are tracking the Sun. This alignment results from heliotropism in an earlier development stage, the young flower stage, before full maturity of flower heads (anthesis). Young sunflowers orient themselves in the direction of the sun. At dawn, the head of the flower faces east and moves west throughout the day. When sunflowers reach full maturity, they no longer follow the sun and continuously face east. Young flowers reorient overnight to face east in anticipation of the morning. Their heliotropic motion is a circadian rhythm, synchronized by the sun, which continues if the sun disappears on cloudy days or if plants are moved to constant light. They are able to regulate their circadian rhythm in response to the blue-light emitted by a light source. When growth of the flower stalk stops and the flower is mature, the heliotropism also stops and the flower faces east from that moment onward. This eastward orientation allows rapid warming in the morning, and as a result, an increase in pollinator visits. This pattern produces the most efficient packing of seeds mathematically possible within the flower head. A model for the pattern of florets in the head of a sunflower was proposed by H. Vogel in 1979. This is expressed in polar coordinates :r=c \sqrt{n}, :\theta=n \times 137.5^{\circ}, where θ is the angle, r is the radius or distance from the center, and n is the index number of the floret and c is a constant scaling factor. It is a form of Fermat's spiral. The angle 137.5° is related to the golden ratio (55/144 of a circular angle, where 55 and 144 are Fibonacci numbers) and gives a close packing of florets. This model has been used to produce computer generated representations of sunflowers. Genome The sunflower genome is diploid with a base chromosome number of 17 and an estimated genome size of 2,871–3,189 billion base pairs. Some sources claim its true size is around 3.5 billion base pairs (slightly larger than the human genome). == Etymology ==

In the binomial name Helianthus annuus, the genus name is derived from the Greek ἥλιος : hḗlios 'sun' and ἄνθος : ánthos 'flower'. The species name annuus means 'annual' in Latin. == Distribution and habitat ==

The plant was first domesticated in the Americas. Sunflower seeds were brought to Europe from the Americas in the 16th century, where, along with sunflower oil, they became a widespread cooking ingredient. With time, the bulk of industrial-scale production has shifted to Eastern Europe, and () Russia and Ukraine together produce over half of worldwide seed production. Sunflowers grow best in fertile, moist, well-drained soil with heavy mulch. They often appear on dry open areas and foothills. The precise native range is difficult to determine. According to Plants of the World Online (POWO), it is native to Arizona, California, and Nevada in the present-day United States and to all parts of Mexico except the Gulf Coast and southeast. Though not giving much detail, the Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder also lists it as native to the Western United States and Canada. The information published by the Biota of North America Program (BONAP) largely agrees with this, showing the common sunflower as native to states west of the Mississippi, though also listed as a noxious weed in Iowa, Minnesota, and Texas. Regardless of its original range, it can now be found in almost every part of the world that is not tropical, desert, or tundra. == Ecology ==

Threats and diseases One of the major threats that sunflowers face today is Fusarium, a filamentous fungus that is found largely in soil and plants. It is a pathogen that over the years has caused an increasing amount of damage and loss of sunflower crops, some as extensive as 80% of damaged crops. Downy mildew is another disease to which sunflowers are susceptible. Its susceptibility to downy mildew is particularly high due to the sunflower's way of growth and development. Sunflower seeds are generally planted only an inch deep in the ground. When such shallow planting is done in moist and soaked earth or soil, it increases the chances of diseases such as downy mildew. Another major threat to sunflower crops are broomrapes, a family of plants which parasitize the roots of various other plants, including sunflowers. Damage and loss to sunflower crops as a result of broomrape can be as high as 100%. == Cultivation ==

In commercial planting, seeds are planted apart and deep. History The common sunflower was one of several plants cultivated by Native Americans in prehistoric North America as part of the Eastern Agricultural Complex, which also included goosefoot, little barley, squash, and a variety of other crops, most of which were replaced by maize and beans following their introduction. Although it was commonly accepted that the sunflower was first domesticated in what is now the southeastern US, roughly 5,000 years ago, there is evidence that it was first domesticated in Mexico around 2600 BCE. These crops were found in Tabasco, Mexico, at the San Andres dig site. The earliest known examples in the US of a fully domesticated sunflower have been found in Tennessee, and date to around 2300 BCE. Other very early examples come from rockshelter sites in Eastern Kentucky. Many indigenous American peoples used the sunflower as the symbol of their solar deity, including the Aztecs and the Otomi of Mexico and the Incas in South America. In 1510, early Spanish explorers encountered the sunflower in the Americas and carried its seeds back to Europe. Of the four plants known to have been domesticated in eastern North America and to have become important agricultural commodities, the sunflower is currently the most economically important. Research of phylogeographic relations and population demographic patterns across sunflowers has demonstrated that earlier cultivated sunflowers form a clade from wild populations from the Great Plains, which indicates that there was a single domestication event in central North America. Following the cultivated sunflower's origin, it may have gone through significant bottlenecks dating back to ~5,000 years ago. In the 16th century the first crop breeds were brought from America to Europe by explorers. Domestic sunflower seeds have been found in Mexico, dating to 2100 BCE. Native American people grew sunflowers as a crop from Mexico to Southern Canada. In the early 19th century, it was first commercialized in the village of Alexeyevka in Voronezh Governorate by the merchant named Daniil Bokaryov, who developed a technology suitable for its large-scale extraction, and quickly spread around. The town's coat of arms has included an image of a sunflower ever since. Production In 2024, world production of sunflower seeds was 51.9 million tonnes, led by Russia and Ukraine, with 58% combined of the total. Crop rotation Sunflower cultivation typically uses crop rotation, often with cereals, soybean, or rapeseed. This reduces idle periods and increases total sunflower production and profitability. Hybrids and cultivars In today's market, most of the sunflower seeds provided or grown by farmers are hybrids. Hybrids or hybridized sunflowers are produced by cross-breeding different types and species, for example cultivated sunflowers with wild species. By doing so, new genetic recombinations are obtained ultimately leading to the production of new hybrid species. These hybrid species generally have a higher fitness and carry properties or characteristics that farmers look for, such as resistance to pathogens. Sunflowers are grown as ornamentals in a domestic setting. Being easy to grow and producing spectacular results in any good, moist soil in full sun, they are a favourite subject for children. A large number of cultivars, of varying size and color, are now available to grow from seed. The following are cultivars of sunflowers (those marked have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit): ==Uses==

Sunflower "whole seed" (fruit) are sold as a snack food, raw or after roasting in ovens, with or without salt and/or seasonings added. Sunflower seeds can be processed into a peanut butter alternative, sunflower butter. It is also sold as food for birds and can be used directly in cooking and salads. Native Americans had multiple uses for sunflowers in the past, such as in bread, medical ointments, dyes and body paints. Sunflower oil, extracted from the seeds, is used for cooking, as a carrier oil and to produce margarine and biodiesel, as it is cheaper than olive oil. A range of sunflower varieties exist with differing fatty acid compositions; some "high-oleic" types contain a higher level of monounsaturated fats in their oil than even olive oil. The oil is also sometimes used in soap. After World War I, during the Russian Civil War, people in Ukraine used sunflower seed oil in lamps as a substitute for kerosene due to shortages. The light from such a lamp has been described as "miserable" and "smoky". The cake remaining after the seeds have been processed for oil is used as livestock feed. The hulls resulting from the dehulling of the seeds before oil extraction can also be fed to domestic animals. Some recently developed cultivars have drooping heads. These cultivars are less attractive to gardeners growing the flowers as ornamental plants, but appeal to farmers, because they reduce bird damage and losses from some plant diseases. Sunflowers also produce latex, and are the subject of experiments to improve their suitability as an alternative crop for producing hypoallergenic rubber. Traditionally, several Native American groups planted sunflowers on the north edges of their gardens as a "fourth sister" to the better-known three sisters combination of corn, beans, and squash. Annual species are often planted for their allelopathic properties. It was also used by Native Americans to dress hair. This compound poultice of the root is applied with much ceremony to rattlesnake bites. However, for commercial farmers growing other commodity crops, the wild sunflower is often considered a weed. Especially in the Midwestern US, wild (perennial) species are often found in corn and soybean fields and can decrease yields. The decrease in yield can be attributed to the production of phenolic compounds which are used to reduce competition for nutrients in nutrient-poor growing areas of the common sunflower. Phytoremediation Helianthus annuus can be used in phytoremediation to extract pollutants from soil such as lead and other heavy metals, such as cadmium, zinc, cesium, strontium, and uranium. The phytoremediation process begins by absorbing the heavy metal(s) through the roots, which gradually accumulate in other areas, such as the shoots and leaves. Helianthus annuus can also be used in rhizofiltration to neutralize radionuclides, such as caesium-137 and strontium-90, from contaminated water, as was done in the case of a pond after the Chernobyl disaster. A similar campaign was mounted in response to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. ==In culture==

with sunflower () – "Lausanne" Sunflowers (1888) According to Iroquois mythology, the first sunflowers grew out of Earth Woman's legs after she died giving birth to her twin sons, Sapling and Flint. The Zuni people use the blossoms ceremonially for anthropic worship. Sunflowers were also worshipped by the Incas because they viewed it as a symbol for the Sun. Stories of Clytie the nymph who was spurned by her former lover Helios end with her transformed into what may be translated as sunflower. However, the plant in Greek mythology may be, "partly pale and partly red, and very like a violet". The plant described also exhibits heliotropism, with its face turning towards the sun. This plant may be a species in the genus heliotrope (Heliotropium). However, less commonly it is identified as the common marigold (Calendula officinalis). During the 19th century, it was believed that nearby plants of the species would protect a home from malaria. Earlier that year, Fairfax chief correspondent Paul McGeough and photographer Kate Geraghty had collected 1.5 kg of sunflower seeds from the wreck site for family and friends of the 38 Australian victims, who aimed to give them a poignant symbol of hope. On 13 May 2021, during the National Costume competition of the Miss Universe 2020 beauty pageant, Miss Dominican Republic Kimberly Jiménez wore a "Goddess of Sunflowers" costume covered in gold and yellow rhinestones that included several real sunflowers sewn onto the fabric. Symbolism The sunflower is the national flower of Ukraine. Ukrainians used sunflower as a main source of cooking oil instead of butter or lard forbidden by the Orthodox Church when observing Lent. They were also planted to serve as bioremediation in Chernobyl. In June 1996, U.S., Russian, and Ukrainian officials planted sunflowers at the Pervomaysk missile base where Soviet nuclear weapons were formerly placed. During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a video widely shared on social media showed a Ukrainian woman confronting a Russian soldier, telling the latter to "take these seeds and put them in your pockets so at least sunflowers will grow when you all lie down here". The sunflower has since become a global symbol of resistance, unity, and hope. The sunflower is also the state flower of the U.S. state of Kansas During the late 19th century, the flower was used as the symbol of the Aesthetic Movement. The sunflower was chosen as the symbol of the Spiritualist Church, for many reasons, but mostly because of the belief that the flowers turn toward the sun as "Spiritualism turns toward the light of truth". Modern Spiritualists often have art or jewelry with sunflower designs. The sunflower is often used as a symbol of green ideology. The flower is also the symbol of the Vegan Society. The sunflower is the symbol behind the Sunflower Movement, a 2014 mass protest in Taiwan. The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower was first used as a visible symbol (typically worn on a lanyard) in May 2016 at London Gatwick Airport. It has since come into common usage throughout the UK and in the Commonwealth more generally. Sunflowers were also used for cultural beliefs for many Native American Tribes. For the Hopi tribe, a big sunflower bloom meant there would be a good harvest year. The Teton Dakota tribe believed that when sunflowers were tall and blooming, it would be a good hunting season for buffalo. The Onandaga tribe had sunflowers in their creation story. ==References==