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History

Sunflowers are one of the first plants to ever be cultivated in the United States. They have been used for more than 5,000 years by the Native Americans, who not only used the seeds as a food and an oil source, but also used the flowers, roots and stems for varied purposes including as a dye pigment. The Spanish explorers brought sunflowers back to Europe, and after being first grown in Spain, they were introduced to other neighbouring countries.

Description

The sunflower (Helianthus annuus) is native to the Americas. What is usually called the flower is actually a head of numerous small flowers crowded together, reaching up to 30 cm in diameter and what are traditionally called "sunflower seeds," but are actually the fruit of the plant. 

   

The florets within the sunflower's cluster are arranged in a spiraling pattern. Typically, there are 34 spirals in 1 direction and 55 in the other.

 

 

Fruiting head


 

Sunflower head displaying florets in spirals of 34 and 55 around the outside The stem of the flower can grow as high as 3 meters tall, with the flower head.



Sunflowers most commonly grow to heights between 2.5 and 3.5 m To grow well, sunflowers need full sun. They grow best in fertile, moist, well-drained soil. Sunflower is a crop which, compared to other crops, performs well under drought conditions; this is probably the main reason for the crop's popularity in the marginal areas of South Africa. Normally sunflower can be planted from the beginning of November until the end of December in the eastern areas and until mid-January in the western areas.

 

 

 
At sunrise, the faces of most sunflowers are turned towards the east. Over the course of the day, they move to track the sun from east to west, while at night they return to an eastward orientation. This motion is performed by motor cells in the pulvinus, a flexible segment of the stem just below the bud. As the bud stage ends, the stem stiffens and the blooming stage is reached.
 

 

 

Harvesting

Harvesting should commence as soon as 80 % of the sunflower heads are brown in order to minimize losses caused by birds, lodging and shattering.

 

 

 

Sunflower seeds.


 

 

The sunflower produces grayish-green seeds encased in tear-dropped shaped gray or black shells that oftentimes feature black and white stripes.
 

  


 Various Sunflower seed  varieties

For commercial purposes, sunflower seeds are usually classified by the pattern on their husks. If the husk is solid black, the seeds are called black oil sunflower seeds. These seeds are usually pressed into sunflower oil.
If the husks are striped, the seeds are called striped sunflower seeds. Due to their lower oil content, striped sunflower seeds are primarily used for food.
Most commonly, sunflower seeds are black with white stripes or plain black.
Sunflower "whole seed" (fruit) are sold as a snack food after roasting within heated ovens with or without salt added. Shelled sunflower seeds have a mild nutty taste and firm, but tender texture.

 

Dehulled sunflower seeds

When dehulled, the edible remainder is called the sunflower kernel.
Dehulled kernels have been mechanically processed to remove the hull. These kernels may be sold raw or roasted. Dehulled kernels are sometimes added to bread and other baked goods for their flavour. It can be used directly in cooking and salads.

                                                     

 References