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1.Each sunflower head can contain as many as 1000 to 2000 seeds.

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1.Each sunflower head can contain as many as 1000 to 2000 seeds.

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2.The name sunflower comes from the Greek helios "sun" and anthos "flower." Sunflower got its name because the flowers turn toward the sun. Some kinds of sunflowers are grown for food, seeds and oil.

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1) At night, the plants turn to face the east to start there journey with the sun. 2) A single sunflower can have up to 2,000 seeds. 3) Most people know that sunflowers are yellow but they can be red and purple too. 4) There are about 70 species of sunflower. 5) The middle/black part of a sunflower is made of tiny flowers.

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The stem of a sunflower can grow up to 3 m (10 ft) tall and the flower head can be 30 cm (11.8 in) wide.

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1.) One sunflower can have up to 2000 seeds.

2.) The biggest sunflower was 30ft long .

3.) Sunflowers come in red ,orange ,yellow  , and all sorts of colors .

4.)When sunflowers die they make sunflowers seed and they are realy good for humans . And they are good snakes  for birds .

5.) The sunflower became the official state flower of Kansas in 1903. Kansas is also referred to as the Sunflower State for this reason.

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After the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster they were used to remove radioactive elements from nearby soils and ponds.

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Sunflower Facts for Kids

Check out our fun sunflower facts for kids. Learn how tall a sunflower can grow, what state is known as the sunflower state, how the sunflower is used by humans, which famous artist painted a series of sunflower paintings and much more.

The sunflower is a large inflorescence, this means the flower head is actually made of many tiny flowers called florets. Central florets look like the center of a normal flower while the outer florets look like yellow petals and together they make up a "false flower". This natural design helps insects and birds to easily see the sunflower and after pollination every little flower or floret produces a seed.

The sunflower is native to the America's and was used extensively by Native American Indians for food, as oil, in bread, medical ointments, dyes and body paints.

Sunflowers can be used to extract toxin such as lead, arsenic and uranium from contaminated soil. For example, sunflowers were used to remove toxins from a pond after the Chernobyl disaster and similar projects took place after the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

It is a misconception that flowering sunflower heads track the Sun across the sky during the day. Young flower buds do display movement similar to this behaviour through a process called heliotropism. But a mature flower usually points in a fixed easterly direction.

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Fun Sunflower Facts for Kids - Interesting Information about Sunflowers

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Sunflower Facts for Kids Check out our fun sunflower facts for kids. Learn how tall a sunflower can grow, what state is known as the sunflower state, how the sunflower is used by humans, which famous artist painted a series of sunflower paintings and much more.

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Do some research on sunflowers.  List information you have found here.

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Do some research on sunflowers.  List information you have found here.

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The sunflower is a bright, beautiful and bold flower which has inspired some amazing pieces of art, poetry and literature through the years.
Enjoy these fun and interesting sunflower facts that you can discover here on this page. Kids and adults can learn about some special features of this plant as well as some lesser known facts.
You can additionally use these fun facts on the sunflower for inspiring children to gain an interest in flowers and nature in your home school education and teaching resources.
Note: This post may contain affiliate links for which I can be compensated.
Sunflower Facts for Kids and Adults to Discover and Enjoy: Lots to Learn About This Amazing Flower

Image Credit: Original image shared by jmacdono on Pixabay with a CC License

1: A sunflower is one of just a very small handful of plants with the word flower in its actual name. Other flowering plants with flower in their name include safflower, elderflower, coneflower, cornflower and waxflower.

2: The word sunflower actually means sun flower or flower of the sun. The scientific name for the common sunflower is Helianthus Annuus.

Helianthus is made up from two Greek words. Helios means sun and Anthus means flower.

3: The Annuus part of the scientific name of a sunflower, Helianthus Annuus, refers to the fact that these flowers are an annual plant and live for just one year.

This has since been found to be wrong because some sunflowers are actually perennials which means that they can live for many years.
The dark center of a sunflower is actually made from thousands of tiny little flowers that develop into edible seeds.
Image Credit: Original image shared by Pexels on Pixabay with a CC License

4: Not many people realize that a sunflower is not just a single flower. The large dark middles of these flowers are actually made up from thousands of individual flowers.

The dark brown and black centers of the sunflower are tiny flowers. No wonder they are such a wonderful place to visit for all the bees collecting pollen.

5: After pollination by bees and other insects, the flowers in the middle of each sunflower grow into edible seeds.

Each flower in the middle of a sunflower head can grow into a seed. No wonder that sunflower heads are loved by birds since each one provides a lot of food for birds and other animals to eat.

6: When these flowers have wilted outdoors and the heads have gone brown, they can be harvested for seeds.

Dried sunflower heads which you can snip off the stalk can make wonderful, natural bird feeders.

You can pop the flower heads up in tree branches or onto flat feeders for the birds to eat.

Alternatively, tie twine around them and hang them up as natural feeders for the birds in your garden. Visiting birds will love snacking on the seeds.
Sunflower seeds are a treat for birds to eat. We can also eat them but take care to remove the outer shells if harvesting your own.
Image Credit: Original image shared by nonnatthapat on Pixabay with a CC License

7: It's not just birds who like to eat sunflower seeds. We can also eat them. You can buy them ready to eat or harvest your own for snacking on.

Be aware that harvesting your own seeds means they will still have the hulls or shells on. Adults are able to chew the hulls from the seeds and spit them out.

Children should not eat seeds with the shells on but eat the ready made shelled versions instead.

I like my seeds roasted in the oven where they go nicely warm and crisp. They make such a tasty snack.
This was a dwarf variety of a Sunflower that we grew. Smaller, dwarf plants look wonderful inside the home and grow well in pots and containers.
Image Credit: photo belongs to the author.

8: Sunflowers are one of the fastest growing plants which is why they tend to make a great first gardening project for children.

Since they grow quickly, children can enjoy watching the growth instead of getting impatient with flowers and plants that are slow growing.

9: Tall varieties of this plant can easily grow between 8 to 12 feet tall within five or six months.

Most sunflowers will grow in pots or containers providing there is enough space for the roots. But they will normally be much happier when planted in open ground.

If you want giant sunflowers, make sure to buy seeds specifically for tall varieties. There are some dwarf versions, like Teddy Bear, which will never grow very high.

You may need to use canes to help keep the stalks nice and upright and stop them from flopping over.
Kansas has the sunflower as its official state flower.
Image Credit: Shared by Laura Gilchrist on Flickr with a CC License

10: The sunflower became the official state flower of Kansas in 1903. Kansas is also referred to as the Sunflower State for this reason.

Although Kansas is certainly one of the top growers of this flower, North Dakota is the actual place that grows the most sunflowers in the world.

11: Sunflowers are the national flower of the Ukraine in Eastern Europe. The Ukraine is one of the world's biggest producers of sunflower seeds and also oil.

12: Sunflowers are a symbol of faith and loyalty, optimism and happiness, long life and good luck. They are associated with all things happy and positive and really are a cheerful flower.

13: The French word for sunflower is tournesol. Tournesol literally means turns with the sun. The French name refers to the fact that these flowers are heliotropic.

Heliotropism refers to plants which appear to follow the movement of the sun as it travels across the sky.

Interestingly, the Spanish word for sunflower also means turns towards the sun. El girasol is the Spanish word for this flower.

14: Sunflowers have many positive meanings but they are also truly positive with the fact that they are able to take up and absorb toxins and heavy metals from polluted ground.

Sunflowers were actually used to help reduce the effects of pollution after nuclear disasters like Chernobyl.

15: Sunflowers have long inspired the world's best creative minds in literature and art. Great artists such as Vincent Van Gogh have produced famous and iconic paintings of this flower.

Sunflower Facts Summary

1:

Sunflower is one of a few plants with flower in the actual name.

2:

The scientific name Helianthus literally means flower of the sun.

3:

They are not just annual or yearly plants, some are perennial and last for years.

4:

Sunflower centers are made up from thousands of tiny flowers.

5:

Each flower in the center can grow into a sunflower seed.

6:

Dried sunflower heads make natural bird feeders.

7:

We can eat the seeds. If you harvest your own, remove the shells before eating.

8:

Sunflowers are a great first gardening project because they grow quickly.

9:

Tall varieties can grow as much as 12 feet tall.

10:

It is the state flower of Kansas since 1903.

11:

The sunflower is the national flower of the Ukraine in Eastern Europe.

12:

They symbolize faith, happiness, long life and good luck.

13:

These are heliotropic plants and appear to always face the sun.

14:

They have been used to remove toxins and pollutants from nuclear disasters.

15:

This flower has inspired great artists such as Vincent Van Gogh.

It's not actually a fact but there is a folk legend that says if you sleep with a sunflower under your pillow, you will become truly wise.

An alternative version of this folk legend is that you will discover the truth of something you wish to know.

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Articles are accurate and true to the best of the author's knowledge. Content is for informational or entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for personal counsel or professional advice in business, financial, legal, or technical matters.

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Sunflower Facts for Kids and Adults to Discover

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The sunflower is a bright, beautiful and bold flower which has inspired some amazing pieces of art, poetry and literature through the years. Enjoy these fun and interesting sunflower facts that you can discover here on this page. Kids and adults can learn about some special features of this plant as well as some lesser known facts.

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Read through this article.  Add interesting information you discovered here.

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Download: Sunflowers Growing Guide
A sunflower blooming in the garden is a quintessential sign of summer. Yet there's more to this sunny ornamental flower than meets the eye. Native to North America, sunflowers have been cultivated for thousands of years not only for their beauty, but also as a source of food, oil, medicine and dye.

Even today, few plants can match the variety of ways we use sunflowers. Roasted and salted sunflower seeds are a popular snack food. The kernels are a delicious addition to cooked dishes and salads. Sunflower oil is extracted from the seeds, and the substance left over from the process, called the "cake," is used as livestock feed. We fill our birdfeeders with sunflower seed. Grind up the kernels and you get sunflower butter, which can be used as an alternative to peanut butter. The seeds can even be sprouted and added to salads.

And, yes, the flowers themselves are a cheery addition to any garden - and a staple in the floral design industry!

2021 is the Year of the Sunflower!

Fascinating Facts

Sunflowers are heliotropic; that is, they direct their growth in response to sunlight. The buds and young flowers face toward the sun throughout the day: They start the morning facing east and end the day facing west, and then reorient to the east at night. Once they mature, however, the flowers remain facing east.

The current world record for tallest sunflower was set in 2014. The plant topped out at 30 feet, 1 inch tall.

Hopi people traditionally used the seeds of a particular type of sunflower to create a dark purple dye to color their baskets. This heirloom variety is now sold under the name Hopi Black Dye Sunflower or Hopi Dye Sunflower.

Sunflower seeds are nutrient powerhouses. They contain unsaturated fats, protein, fiber, vitamin E, and minerals such as iron, selenium and zinc.

The outer shell of the sunflower seed is called the hull. The edible interior is called the sunflower kernel or heart.

Sunflower plants are used to extract toxins, such as lead and uranium, from contaminated soil, in a process called phytoremediation. After the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster they were used to remove radioactive elements from nearby soils and ponds.

Although the name sunflower can refer to several different types of plants, including some perennials, it most commonly refers to the familiar annual flower Helianthus annuus.

Growing Guide

Choosing Varieties

Keep these considerations in mind when selecting sunflower varieties for your garden.

Plant and flower size. Read descriptions carefully. Some sunflower varieties grow just a foot tall and thrive in containers or along a walkway. Others soar to 12' or taller and need to be sited accordingly. Some varieties have flowers that are a few inches in diameter, while others produce huge blooms measuring a foot or more across.

Branching vs. single-stem. Most varieties, including the "traditional" types, grow into branching plants with flowers borne on the central stem as well as on the branches. Plant breeders have more recently developed single-stem hybrid varieties for the cut-flower market, which produce one flower atop a straight, sturdy stem. Some of these hybrids are also pollenless - a plus in bouquets because they won't drop pollen on tablecloths. (This is a minus, however, for bees and other beneficial insects that rely on protein-rich pollen as food.)

Long-day vs. day-neutral. Some types of sunflowers are classified as "long-day" - they produce flowers in response to day length. That means that even if you stagger your sowings weeks apart, the plants will all begin blooming at about the same time, regardless of the size of the plant. Other types, including many developed for cut flower growers, are day-neutral, which means they'll produce flowers when they reach a certain age. So you can sow seeds every few weeks and enjoy a steady supply of fresh blooms.
Find more information on long-day vs. day-neutral in our article on photorealism.
Single vs. double flowers. Most of the familiar "single" sunflower varieties, characterized by a central disc surrounded by a ring of petals, produce abundant nectar and pollen, making them magnets for many pollinators and other beneficial insects. If attracting these "garden good guys" is one of your goals, avoid varieties with pom-pom-like double flowers, because the nectar and pollen are hidden under the masses of petals, making them harder for insects to find.

Hoping to gather seeds to eat? Choose a striped-hull variety, such as Mammoth Grey Stripe, Mammoth Russian, or others touted for their large seeds with thin hulls and plump, tasty kernels. ("Oil-seed sunflowers," in contrast, have solid black hulls and smaller kernels.)

Site Selection

True to their sunny disposition, sunflowers require a location in full sun - one that receives at least six hours of direct sun per day, and preferably eight hours or more. The plants are tolerant of a wide range of soil types, but grow best in a rich, well-drained loam. If you're growing tall varieties, choose a site where the plants won't shade other plants - unless that's your intention.

Soil Preparation

Loosen soil to a depth of at least 10", and then mix in some compost and/or slow-release organic fertilizer, which will provide a steady supply of nutrients. Rake the soil to create a smooth seedbed.

Sowing Seed

Plant sunflower seeds directly in the garden after all danger of frost is past. Although they can be started early indoors, the plants have taproots that are easily damaged during transplanting. Plant the seeds about an inch deep. The distance between seeds and rows will depend on variety, so follow the instructions on the seed packet.

Early Care

Newly planted seeds and small seedlings are irresistible to birds. If necessary, cover newly planted seeds with a fabric row cover until plants are 3-4" tall. Keep the soil evenly moist to ensure good germination and seedling growth, and continue to water regularly during the first month. After that, water deeply but less frequently, which will encourage plants to form a deep root system, which will provide important anchoring for the large, top-heavy blooms.

Growing and Harvesting Sunflower Seeds

Watching birds perch and peck at drooping sunflower seed heads is a pleasant porch-sitting summer pastime. However, if you're growing sunflowers in hopes of harvesting the seeds, know that you'll have to take steps to prevent birds (and squirrels and other wildlife) from devouring the seeds before you're ready to harvest.

Once the flowers have gone by, the seed heads will begin to droop and the seeds will start to fill out and plump up. That means it's time to protect each seed head by covering it with row cover fabric or cheesecloth, tying it securely in place.

It's time to harvest when the backs of the seed heads turn yellow and the seeds fall out easily from the head. Cut the seed heads with about a foot of stem attached and hang them in a well-ventilated location to finish drying. Be sure they're protected from rodents and insects.

To harvest, rub two seed heads together to loosen the seeds, or use a stiff brush to dislodge them. Allow the seeds to dry thoroughly, and then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Note: Sunflowers are allelopathic, meaning that they produce substances that can inhibit the growth of other plants. The substances are harmless to animals and people, and eventually biodegrade in the soil. Learn more: What You Probably Don't Know About Sunflowers

More Sunflower Fun

Make a sunflower house! Create a fun fort for kids to play and hide in using our Sunflower House activity.

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KidsGardening Growing Guides - Sunflower Growing Guide

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Download: Sunflowers Growing Guide A sunflower blooming in the garden is a quintessential sign of summer. Yet there's more to this sunny ornamental flower than meets the eye. Native to North America, sunflowers have been cultivated for thousands of years not only for their beauty, but also as a source of food, oil, medicine and dye.

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Below, we have prepared a list of best interesting facts about Sunflower plant. Maybe some of them you will already know but some Sunflower facts will definitely surprise you.

The scientific name of Sunflower is "Helianthus".
"Helia" for Sun + "Anthus" for Flower.

FACT 2. ➤ Like potatoes, tomatoes, and corn, the sunflower plant is native to North America.

FACT 3. ➤ The Tallest Sunflower is Over 30 Feet confirmed by Guinness World Records on August 28, 2014.

FACT 4. ➤ Sunflower is the national flower of Ukraine and is the state flower of Kansas.

FACT 6. ➤ At night, the plants turn to face east to start their journey with the sun.

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Sunflower plant facts for kids - 15 Interesting Sunflower Facts

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The scientific name of Sunflower is "Helianthus". "Helia" for Sun + "Anthus" for Flower. FACT 2. ➤ Like potatoes, tomatoes, and corn, the sunflower plant is native to North America. FACT 3. ➤ The Tallest Sunflower is Over 30 Feet confirmed by Guinness World Records on August 28, 2014. FACT 4.