Rural Perspectives

Sunflowers both a garden favorite, major crop

by Diane Constable

The popular common sunflower blooms in mid- to late-summer and can grow up to 12 feet tall. Photo credit: Diane Constable

The common sunflower (Helianthus annuus) is a tall, bright yellow addition in our gardens and often is grown as a crop in our farm fields. It is native to North and Central America, where the indigenous people cultivated this plant more than 5,000 years ago, predating corn. Seeds were ground into flour and mush, eaten as a snack, and squeezed for cooking oil. Purple dye was made for clothing, decorating, and body paint. Dried stalks were used as building material.

Today, the seeds still are eaten as snacks, ground into flour, squeezed for cooking oil and used as dye. Seeds also are used for bird and livestock feed.

The Spanish explorers of the 1500s took the seeds back to Europe, where the plant was grown for the seed oil to be used for cooking. It eventually spread to Russia, where the Russian Church allowed the plant oil to be used during Lent. By the 1800s, farmers had nearly 2 million acres in production. They also had developed a variety with a much higher oil content, which was named the Mammoth Russian.

Immigrants brought the seeds back to the USA. The variety started showing up in seed catalogs here in the 1880s, and it remains a garden favorite today. In the 1970s, Canadian farmers hybridized the seed to boost disease resistance and increase the oil content, and it is now a major crop here and in Western Europe.

The sunflower is an annual plant that blooms in mid- to late-summer and can grow from 5-12 feet. It grows best in a sunny area with loose, well-drained soil. The large flower has two parts. The outer, large petals are yellow or various shades of yellow, red or orange, depending on the variety. The inside disc is made of 1,000-2,000 tiny florets, which self-pollinate as each floret produces one seed. The seeds grow in a spiral pattern that optimizes sun exposure and allows pollinating insects to feed from the tiny flowers. As the flower grows, it will face the direction of the sun, but once it matures, it usually faces eastward. Cut flowers will stay fresh in vases for up to 14 days.

Insects, including butterflies and bees, feed on the flower nectar. Many species of birds will flock to feeders filled with sunflower seeds. Mammals, including squirrels, chipmunks, raccoons, mice, opossum, deer and bear, also enjoy eating the seeds.

Fun Facts: 1) There are more than 70 varieties of the common sunflower. 2) Sunflowers were grown at the International Space Station and did fine in zero gravity. 3) Sunflowers are planted to absorb radioactive and other heavy metals from contaminated soil. When mature, they are harvested, burned, and the metals left behind are gathered and safely stored.

As an avid photographer, Diane Constable regularly puts her formal education in both nature and photography to good use. Diane also enjoys gardening and her dogs and serves on the board of the Ann Arbor Dog Training Club.