Five Things You May Not Know About Sunflowers

Nothing says ‘summer’ quite like the sunflower. With their bold yellow heads, towering stalks, and enormous blooms they can’t help but make their cheery presence felt. And as florists, we look forward to their coming every year. But while sunflowers are among our best-loved and most recognisable blooms, there are a few surprising facts about theses floral sun worshipers that you may not know.

Five Interesting Facts About Sunflowers

1. Sunflowers are more than just a pretty face

You may have sunflower oil in your kitchen cupboard and sunflower seeds in your bread. So, the chances are, you already know that there’s a whole lot more to the sunflower than just its beautiful blooms. But did you know that every scrap of the sunflower is edible? Roots, stalks, leaves, flowers, and seeds. In fact, that’s what it was originally cultivated for. Sunflowers are also used to create natural pigments. And the oil is a favourite of the cosmetics industry because if its anti-inflammatory properties.

2. Sunflowers are natural cleaners

Known as ‘hyperaccumulators’, sunflowers are able to absorb an astonishing array of toxins. Including radiation. Following the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency planted millions of sunflowers to help remove the toxins from the soil. The same practise was carried out in Chernobyl, helping the land to recover after a nuclear reactor was accidentally destroyed. Sunflowers are also able to absorb toxic metals, and are frequently planted where there is a high concentration of lead in the ground.

3. Every sunflower head contains thousands of flowers

While the things that you and I refer to as sunflowers look like a single, enormous bloom, they are actually a composite. Which means that every head can contain up to two thousand florets – mini flowers. And each one produces pollen and nectar. Which is why when you grow sunflowers in the garden, they will usually be covered in bees and other pollinating insects.  

4. Sunflowers come in a range of sizes

When you think of sunflowers, the typical vision is a field of bobbing blooms just above the average adult head height. But there are around 70 different species of sunflower, and they have an enormous range of heights. The smallest – which is commonly believed to be the Elf variety, reaches a mere 16 inches, with diminutive four-inch blooms. While the tallest sunflower ever recorded, stretched to a mighty 30 feet 1 inch tall. Which is about the height of your average telegraph pole. (And as a bonus fact, they also come in variety of colours!).

5. Sunflowers have been associated with a couple of religions and mythologies

Sunflowers are heliotropic, which means that the young plants turn their heads to follow the sun. This has led to a number of cultural and religious associations. The Ancient Incas are believed to have associated sunflowers with the Sun God – because they turn their heads in worship. While the Ancient Greeks believed the sunflower to have been created when the water nymph Clytie pined for the sun god, Helios – turning her head to track his path across the sky before wilting away.

Sunflowers are beautiful, useful, and interesting. While daisy-like in form, their stature is unlike almost any other flower. Which not only makes them an incredible addition to any garden, but really valuable in a cut flower arrangement. And once cut, these beautiful blooms can last up to 12 days. The only downside, is that you will only ever find sunflowers between June and September. So, why not make the most of the season, and ask for sunflowers to be included in your next one-of-a-kind arrangement?

Contact Blue Florist to order sunflowers while you can get them!