Facts about Sunflowers!
| Published: 23rd April 2007 14:47 |
- Did you ever wonder how Sunflowers got their scientific name Helianthus? It comes from two words, Helios meaning sun, and Anthos, meaning flower. The sunflower "often" follows the sun and this characteristic is how it got its name.
- The Sunflower is great for attracting insects and birds into your garden.
In many parts of Europe sunflowers have provided and still provide leaves for smoking, flower buds for salads, flowers for dyes, and oil for cooking.- The sunflower is not one flower, but a cluster of more then 2000 tiny flowers growing together...go and have a closer look.
- The tallest sunflower grown on record was 7.62m (25 ft) tall and was grown in 1986 by Martien Heijms in Oirschot, the Netherlands.
- The largest sunflower head on record measured 82.5cm (32 ½") across its widest point and was grown in Canada.
- The shortest mature sunflower on record was just over 5cm (2") tall and was grown in Oregon using the Bonsai technique.
- The sunflower is the state flower of Kansas.
- The sunflower is the national flower of Russia.
The French word for Sunflower is 'tournesol', or literally "turn with the sun". In Spain and Italy it is called 'Girasol' and in Germany it is called 'Sonnenblume'.- Sunflower stems were used to fill lifejackets before the advent of modern materials.
- Low-pollen sunflowers have been developed in recent years which not only helps asthma sufferers, but extends the flower's life.
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