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Helianthus annuus
Also called Sunflower, Annual Sunflower, Garden Sunflower, Wild Sunflower, Mirasol, Ornamental Sunflower
Common sunflower is a tall, fast-growing annual with large yellow flower heads, grown mainly for its seeds and oil. The key to growing it is full sun, fertile moist but well-drained soil, and plenty of room.
The common sunflower (Helianthus annuus) is a large annual forb in the daisy family Asteraceae. The most common varieties have large yellow orange flowers heads, that are a tall stem. The flowers produce seeds in a floret, that follows the fibonacci sequence. The domesticated form of common sunflower is harvested for its edible seeds, which come in two types: oil and confectionery seeds.
Oilseed sunflowers are widely grown globally and represent the fourth most used vegetable oil in the world. They also are used widely as bird food or as food for livestock. In contrast, confectionery sunflower seeds are often eaten as a snack food or in baking. Though first domesticate in the Americas, production of sunflowers commercially is concentrated in Russia, Ukraine, and the European Union.
In commercial planting, seeds are planted 45 cm (1+1⁄2 ft) apart and 2.5 cm (1 in) deep.
The plant was first domesticated in the Americas. Sunflower seeds were brought to Europe from the Americas in the 16th century, where, along with sunflower oil, they became a widespread cooking ingredient. With time, the bulk of industrial-scale production has shifted to Eastern Europe, and (as of 2020) Russia and Ukraine together produce over half of worldwide seed production.
Confectionary sunflower "whole seed" are sold as a snack food, raw or after roasting in ovens, with or without salt and/or seasonings added. Sunflower seeds can be processed into a peanut butter alternative, sunflower butter. It is also sold as food for birds and can be used directly in cooking and salads. Native Americans had multiple uses for sunflowers in the past, such as in bread, medical ointments, dyes and body paints.
Texas blueweed · Sawtooth sunflower · Maximilian sunflower · Paradox sunflower · Jerusalem artichoke · Sunflower
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Common sunflower by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
