In all their bright beauty, Sunflowers are a delightful moment to see. However, there’s more than beauty. They provide healthy food items, useful oil, and bird seeds. Make your garden more knowledgeable with this information regarding Helianthus Annuus. Have a look at amazing facts about sunflowers below!
It is believed that the French term for sunflowers is “tournesol,” which means turning around the sun. Young sunflowers follow the sun, and this is called heliotropism. As the sun rises, the flower buds and the young blooms will be facing east and follow the sun through the day.
You might have observed the sunflower fields in full bloom in August, or at the very least, images shared on social networks. They are more than simply a stunning photo-op. Farmers plant sunflowers to harvest their seeds to produce sunflower seed oil and use them in the kitchen. Find out 20 interesting facts about sunflowers.
Sweet Facts About Sunflowers
- Sunflowers are indigenous to America. The flower was cultivated throughout North America as early as 3000 BC and later used in medicine, food dyes, and oil.
- The flower’s origins are in the area known by the name of prairie states in the United States. They also are the flower of state in Kansas.
- Spanish conquistadors shipped the flowers across the world in the year 1500.
- The Tsar Peter the Great brought a few of the flowers to Russia with his family from the Netherlands, where they were popular after it was found that sunflower seed oil wasn’t prohibited during Lent like other oils that the Russian Orthodox Church had banned consumers from drinking. The 19th century saw approximately the equivalent of two million acres had been planted throughout the country each year.
- The sunflower industry in America has increased several times in the past. In the 19th century, Russian immigrants came to America with seeds that produced bigger blooms. In 1946, Missouri farmers began to produce sunflower oil after Canada invented the machine for crushing seeds. In the 1970s, people turned sunflower seed oil into a healthier alternative to animal fats.
- Sunflowers require plenty of sunlight. They thrive best when they get between 6 and 8 hours of sunshine. However, more sun is always better.
- They can reach as high as up to 16 feet. The stem may reach as high as 12 feet, and the head can grow to over 12 inches in size. Many varieties are being developed to thrive at various levels.
- If the plants are placed too close together, they could compete and not blossom to their fullest potential.
- Sunflower buds and blossoms that are young will face the east in the early morning and then follow the sun through the day. As they grow larger during seed production, the stems become stiffer, and the mature flower heads are likely to remain facing east.
- The heads of each sunflower are made of smaller flowers.
- The petals that surround the outside are referred to as Ray florets. They are unable to reproduce. In contrast, the disc florets in the middle, where seeds grow, are made up of female and male organs, and they each produce a seed. They can self-pollinate, or they may take pollen carried by insects or carried by the wind.
- Usually, sunflowers contain between 1,000 and 1,400 flowers and seeds that could be planted.
- After the flower heads have been empty from seeds, the flower heads could be converted into disposable scrubbing pads to tackle tasks that are too difficult for your cleaning tools.
- Ukraine is the world’s largest sunflower seed producer and is than Russia.
- South Dakota is the largest producer of sunflowers in the United States, followed by North Dakota and Texas.
- There are two major kinds that sunflower seeds come in. Black seeds, also referred to in the form of Black Oil, are 45 percent richer in Sunflower oil and are mostly employed in the manufacture. Grey seeds, which are also known as White seeds, are typically used to prepare snacks and animal food items, like bird seeds.
- The United States produces oil-type sunflowers and other sunflower seeds that are not oil-based.
- The season of sunflowers cultivated across the United States is from June until September.
- Oil-type seeds have between 38% and 50 percent oil. Thus for every 100 lbs of seeds, forty pounds worth of oil are produced.
- Non-oil seeds contain a lower percentage of oil and are classified into three categories Ingredients, food-grade, and others. The food-grade seeds are typically the largest and the cleanest. In the case of sunflower seeds, they are of decent quality, but they do not possess the proper attributes. The remaining seeds are used to make bird seeds and other animal feed as they’re lower quality, smaller products.
Wrapping Up:
Hope you loved reading these cheerful facts about sunflowers! Aren’t sunflowers the cutest!!
Stay tuned for more flowery posts! Until then have a look at 50 Fascinating Facts About Plants!!
