HISTORY: The common name is directly translated from the genus name, which is made up of two Greek words: helios “sun”, and anthos’ “flower”. The Inca Indians of Peru worshipped the sunflower as a symbol of the sun. The priestesses in the temple of the sun wore necklaces of sunflowers made from gold. Spanish explorers in Peru took sunflower seeds back to Spain with them. There they were cultivated and hybridized and centuries later were reintroduced as cultivated plants in America.

North American Indians used ground seeds for flour and oil from the seeds for cooking, mixing paints and dressing their hair. During the 19th century American settlers planted sunflowers near their homes as protection against malaria. The leaves and stalks were used for fodder. Fibers from the stalks were used to make cloth, and the leaves were dried and smoked like tobacco. The young sprouts and the seeds were eaten, the seed husks were ground to make a coffeelike drink and the oil from the seeds were used in cooking and making soap. A permanent yellow dye was made from the ray flowers of the blossom.

Late June to Early July