Interesting Sunflower Facts To Brighten Up Your Day

“Sunflowers in spring, they’re just like you / Sunflowers wipe away your tears / All your doubts and fears / You were born to fly, so high.”–Alice Peacock

With all their associations with sunshine, it is no surprise that sunflowers are considered very positive flowers. People send them to express feelings like happiness, warmth, luck, adoration and friendship. They are the perfect flower to celebrate a happy occasion or to please someone who is going through a difficult time. Sunflowers, in all their colourful glory, are a happy sight to behold - but more so in their nature than just beauty. Let your garden knowledge flourish with these sunflower facts

Interesting Sunflower Facts

  • The scientific name of sunflower is Helianthus.
  • Sunflowers are native to North and Central America.
  • There are two types of sunflower seeds. Sunflower oil which is used in cooking and margarine from black seeds and snack food is made from striped seeds. Seeds can also be used as bird feeds.
  • There are 70 different species of sunflowers.
  • Sunflower is made up of many small flowers
  • Sunflower contains calcium and eleven other minerals.
  • The tallest sunflower recorded by the Guinness Book of World Records was about 25 and a half feet long!
  • Sunflowers need a lot of room and rays.
  • They were brought to Russia by royalty.
  • Sunflowers have even travelled to space.
  • On cloudy days young or immature sunflowers will track sun traces.
  • Sunflower seeds are preferred as a raw, cooked or roasted snack, while the oil extracted from the seeds is often used for cooking.
  • The sunflower turns itself around to face the sun.
  • One of the interesting facts about sunflowers is that a sunflower actually consists of 1,000 to 2,000 individual flowers simultaneously. What we consider to be the sunflower is actually the head of the sunflower, which consists of these thousands of small flowers.
  • Sunflower can be used to remove toxins like lead, arsenic and uranium from contaminated soil. For example, sunflowers were used to extract toxins from a pond after the Chernobyl disaster and similar projects took place after the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
  • Mature sunflowers face east all day.
  • Dwarf sunflowers require proper moisture and sunlight.
  • Perennial sunflowers can live up to 2 years.
  • Wild sunflowers are often photographed with their long stalks and bright petals that draw towards the sun. This interesting behavior, known as phototropism, inspired a motif that appeared in many ancient works.
  • One of the fun facts about sunflowers is that Famous Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh did a series of paintings featuring and called Sunflowers.
  • Sunflower can rise to unimaginable heights
  • In general, sunflowers grow from six to ten feet.
  • Sunflower comes from the Greek words "helios" (sun) and "anthos" (flower).
  • Historically, they have been used for medicine, dye, food, and oil, and around 1500 were exported.
  • Sunflower is the state flower of Kansas and the national flower of Ukraine.

So, these were some interesting facts about sunflowers. Order these beautiful yellow flowers online from any reputed florist and make your home a happy place. Also, send it to your near and dear ones on any occasion and brighten up their day.