Sunflowers are usually grown to produce sunflower oil, but the flowers are also planted as ornamental flowers in gardens. Smaller sunflowers can be used as cut flowers. Sunflower seeds are eaten raw or roasted as a snack.
Basic information and facts
Sunflower originates from America.
Nowadays, sunflower has almost worldwide distribution mainly temperate and subtropical regions. Highest production is in Ukraine, Russia, Argentina, China, France, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Hungary, USA, and Tanzania.
Annual, biennial, or perennial:
Sunflower is an annual plant.
Wild sunflowers are branched plants with many smaller flower heads, but the cultivated sunflower has only one large flower head at the end of an unbranched stem. The big yellow flower head looks like the sun.
Climate and weather:
Sunflowers grow in a wide range of climates including temperate, subtropical and semi arid climates.
Sunflowers are generally 2 to 3 meters tall.
About 45 cm.
Most sunflowers are cultivated to produce sunflower oil which is extracted from the seeds. it is used as a cooking oil, to produce margarine, or as a bio-fuel. The cake which is left over after extracting the oil is used as a feed for animals. Sunflower seeds are eaten as a snack and are used as bird feed.
Sunflowers are often grown as ornamental flowers in gardens. Smaller varieties can be sold as cut flowers.
Did you know that?
- Sunflowers appear in several painting of the Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh.