• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Home Garden Joy
  • Home
  • How to Garden
    • Seed Starting
    • Plant Profiles
    • Tools & Equipment
    • Raised Bed Gardening
  • Vegetables
  • Fruit
  • Herbs
  • Plant Based Recipes
    • Canning and Food Preservation
    • Salad Recipes
    • Soup Recipes
    • Vegetarian Meals
  • About
    • Books & Classes
      • Herbalism Classes
      • Indoor Herb Gardening
      • Books for Christian Herbalists
      • Privacy Policy

Sunflower Facts and Fun

August 15, 2018 by Jeanne

Sunflower facts and fun come just at the time of year when our sunflowers are  setting seeds and coming to a close. Sunflowers are one of my favorite flowers to grow here on the farm. A few sunflower facts and a little sunflower fun!

Sunflower Facts

  1. The scientific name of sunflower is Helianthus – heli means sun and anthus means flower. Simple, right?
  2. In the language of flowers, where flowers are given symbolic meaning, sunflowers represent faithfulness and loyalty.
  3. Sunflowers do indeed ‘follow the sun’ as the flower heads develop. Once they bloom, the flower continues to face one direction – face to the sun.
  4. Specialized cells in the sunflower’s stem help it turn towards the light. These cells are photo, or light, sensitive.
  5. Sunflower oil can be used as everything from a cooking oil to a hair conditioner and more. It has dozens of known uses.

The arrangement of seeds is unique…

  1. Sunflowers themselves are actually composed of many “flowers” in the center; the petals ring the seed-bearing cluster of flowers.
  2. The arrangement of seeds inside the central face of the sunflower is extremely useful for scientists studying solar energy. In fact, by copying this arrangement, they have been able to improve the efficiency of solar collectors.
  3. This pattern of interconnecting spirals inside the seed head orient  oriented towards the next cluster at an angle that is exactly 137.5 degrees. Always. That boggles my mind. How do the plants do this?

Where sunflowers are found…

  1. Sunflower is the state flower of Kansas, the national flower of the Ukraine, and a very popular flower worldwide.
  2. It is grown in almost every country of the world with Russia and the United States two of the leaders.
  3. Sunflowers are native to North America.

What sunflowers do…

  1. Sunflowers can actually soak up radiation. They are being used near the Fukushima reactor site in Japan to clean the soil of radioactive particles.
  2. They can also remove lead, arsenic, and uranium from the soil.
  3. Native Americans used sunflowers for food and cooking oil.
  4. Many bird species rely upon sunflower seeds for energy and food.
  5. Sunflowers can grow 8 to 12 feet tall in just six months.
  6. The tallest sunflower on record is 27 feet, according to the Guiness Book of World Records. It was grown in Germany.

Sunflower facts…

  1. There are over 60 varieties of sunflowers including giant ones and miniature ones.
  2. Sunflowers come in many colors, but their seeds are always black or striped – two colors.
  3. The sunflower’s design makes it easy for birds to eat the seeds, thus dispersing them and helping the next generation of sunflower to grow.

I love sunflowers and plant them in the raised bed vegetable garden as well as outside the windows of my husband’s office. We love the goldfinches that visit to enjoy the seeds.

More Sunflower Articles

  • Sunflowers in Bloom
  • Growing Sunflowers
  • Growing Sunflowers
  • Celebrating Autumn
  • How to Save Sunflower Seeds

This post was written in July 2018. It was updated on September 7, 2021 with improved readability, new images, improved links, better formatting, and cleaner text.

Pin2
Share
Tweet
2 Shares

Filed Under: Growing Flowers

Previous Post: « Cantaloupe vs Muskmelon – What Is the Difference?
Next Post: Easy Ways to Save Cantaloupe Seeds »

Primary Sidebar

Let’s Connect!

  • Amazon
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Featured

logo of the american horticulture society

Explore All Gardening Articles

Seed Starting Basics

Easy Ways to Save Cantaloupe Seeds

plants and tools in a wheelbarrow

Starting Peppers from Seeds

tomato seedlings

Seed Starting Resources

tomatoes on the vine

When Should You Start Tomato Seeds Indoors?

Herbalism Classes & Supplies

Goods Shop by Herbal Academy – botanically inspired products

We were featured in Porch.com and answered reader's questions about indoor plants.

Disclosure

Home Garden Joyo participates in two affiliate programs: Amazon and The Herbal Academy. Home Garden Joy earns a commission from qualifying purchases as an Amazon Associate. As an Herbal Academy Associate, HGJ also earns a commission when you sign up for classes or purchase herbs or supplies from The Herbal Academy.

Footer

raised bed garden

How to Build a Vegetable Garden Using Raised Beds

If you’re thinking about building a vegetable garden this year, raised beds are one of the best ways I know of to start a vegetable garden. Instead of renting a rototiller or hand-digging the soil, adding amendments and turning it all under to create a good garden bed, you start with the best soil mixture…

Read More

henbit close up

Henbit: Plant Profile

I’ve put together this henbit plant profile to spotlight a lovely plant – which many gardeners consider a weed. Weed or flower? To me, it’s a matter of perspective. Every spring, at least one of my raised beds is covered in a thick mat of henbit. Henbit is both lovely and practical despite being labeled…

Read More

fresh beets from the garden on the lawn after being washed

The Ultimate Guide to Growing Organic Beets

I wrote this Ultime Guide to Growing Beets to share my techniques for growing tasty, organic beets. Beets are a powerhouse of nutrition. Both the beetroot and the leaves and stems are edible. You can also can beets and beet greens to store them for year-round use. Here, I share with you a full guide…

Read More

a blue wheelbarrow and a red wheelbarrow filled with pine branches

Winter Homesteading Projects

Even though it’s cold and snowy out, winter homesteading projects beckon. As I write this, snow is falling in sheets outside my office windows, covering the orchard trees with a blanket of white. Last week, an ice storm knocked power out for 36 hours – and knocked pines down every which way. We had poles…

Read More

  • Privacy Policy
  • About
  • Awards

Copyright © 2025 Home Garden Joy on the Foodie Pro Theme