The sunflower plant or “Helianthus Annuus”(botanic name) is a perennial plant that belongs to the “Asteraceae” family. It is the state flower of the state of Kansas. The “sunflower” aptly called so, follows the direction of the sun and one would observe that as the day progresses the flower turns its face from east to west following the sun.
The sunflower plant grows to great heights ranging from 60 to 390 cms. It has got a rough and hairy stem and the sunflower spreads to a diameter of 30 cms. These bright yellow flowers are simply beautiful and are also very useful. The sunflower plant is cultivated for its flower and more so for the other purposes like oil that we get from it. After obtaining the oil, what remain of the seeds are good cattle feed. The sunflower seeds are also a very popular snack.
A distance of at least 40 cms in between two plants must be maintained in order to ensure healthy, strong plants. The seeds must be sown at a depth of at least 2.5 cms from the surface. Regular watering is very important for good healthy plants. The sunflower is made up of a large number of petals and the inner part of the flower called the disc florets is what turns eventually into seeds on maturity.
For growing sunflower plants the basic requirement is of fertile, well-drained, rich, moist soil. Abundant sunlight and protection from the wind is essential for good results. With added supplements, fertilizers and manure one can ensure healthy blooms that one can be really proud of.