Sunflower Plant Facts

Crop History

• Kansas is known as the Sunflower State because the wild sunflowers native to North America grew so commonly. California, Colorado, the Dakotas, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska and Texas are all powerhouse sunflower producers today--thanks to Russia. Spanish explorers took sunflowers back to Europe by 1510, where they became popular exotic ornamentals. Yet in the 1800s Russian farmers grew them as food, and also for oil; government breeding programs developed specialized varieties for each use.

Food Uses

• Most sunflowers grown in the U.S. are used to produce light colored, mild tasting vegetable oil. These sunflower seeds can be 50 percent oil by weight. Seeds from edible types are cracked, with kernels eaten straight from the shell as snacks or, if shelled, as roasted kernels. Sunflower kernels are sprinkled atop salads, used in veggie burgers and baked into breakfast bars, breads and other baked goods. They are also ground into sunflower seed butter, a high-protein spread.

Other Uses

• Sunflowers were first grown commercially in the U.S. as silage feed for poultry. Today they still figure prominently in domestic and wild birdseed mixtures, especially the black oilseed varieties. Sunflower meal--the seed material remaining after oil extraction--is up to 42 percent protein and is used as livestock feed. Sunflowers are sometimes grown as cattle silage. They are also grown widely as ornamental flowers in home gardens and by small growers for sale at farmers markets and other floral outlets.

Cultivation

• The sunflower has a short growing season, which is a key reason for its wide cultivation. It's more tolerant of cold than hot temperatures, is not too picky about soil types and tolerates a wide range of soil pH. Two general types of sunflowers are grown. Oilseed sunflowers produce small black seeds that are very high in oil. Confectionery or non-oilseed sunflowers produce the larger striped seeds used in snacks and other food products.

Harvest

• The head of a sunflower, surrounded by petals, looks like one big blossom. In fact, that flat, central area consists of 1,000 to 2,000 tiny individual flowers joined together at the base. If pollinated each of these develops into a seed, with seed development beginning at the outer edge and moving inward. When the back of each sunflower head turns brown, the seeds are mature.

Sun & Flowers

• Sunflowers are known for their heliotropism, or the ability of the flower head to track the sun's movement during the day. Plants do this during the bud stage, though once the flower opens fully they face east. Some newer varieties will droop and face downward as seeds mature, which can reduce bird damage and prevent diseases caused by water collecting in the seed head.