Space Flora | The Secrets Behind Sun Flowers : All Hail The Great Sun!

The Secrets Behind Sun Flowers : All Hail The Great Sun!

Sun flowers are one of the most recognizable and popular flowers in the world. But have you ever stopped to wonder where they got their name? In this blog post, we'll explore the secrets behind sunflowers and find out how this beautiful flower came to be known by this name.

The scientific name for a sunflower is helianthus annuus. Helios is the Greek word for sun and anthos means flower. So, literally translated, sunflower means “flower of the sun.” And it's easy to see why! The head of a sunflower is actually made up of hundreds or even thousands of small flowers called florets. These florets are arranged in such a way that they resemble a big, bright sun.

Interestingly, the reason sunflowers always face the sun is because of something called heliotropism. This is a special trait that allows the plant tomove or grow in response to the sun's rays. So, as the sun moves across the sky during the day, the sunflower will turn to follow it! This ensures that each individual flower on the head gets enough sunlight to bloom properly.

While we don't know exactly when or where sunflowers first originated, we do know that they've been around for a long time. Archeologists have found evidence of sunflowers being cultivated in Mexico as far back as 3,000 BC! From there, they spread to other parts of North and South America before eventually making their way to Europe in the 16th century.

During this time, European explorers brought back all kinds of new plants and animals from the Americas. Sunflowers were just one of many new things that people in Europe had never seen before. People were fascinated by these strange flowers that followed the path of the sun across the sky. They quickly became a popular subject for paintings and other works of art.

In addition to being beautiful, sunflowers were also prized for their oil-rich seeds. For centuries, people used sunflower oil for cooking, as lamp fuel, and even as an ingredient in cosmetics like soap and ointment. Today, sunflower seeds are still eaten as a snack and used to make bird feed and edible oil.

Next time you see a brightly-colored sunflower shining in the summer sun, you'll know just how this unique flower got its name! Heliotropism, anyone?

Back to blog

Leave a comment

Please note, comments need to be approved before they are published.