Sunflower Flower Meaning, Characteristics and Uses in Detail
Sunflowers are phototropic, which is why people call them "sunflowers," flowers that follow the sun around. Below, let us take a look at a detailed introduction to the sunflower's flower meaning, characteristics and uses.
Sunflower Flower Meaning, Characteristics and Uses in Detail
Sunflower characteristics:
Sunflowers can be grown in all four seasons, mainly in summer and winter. The flowering period can last more than two weeks. Besides resembling the sun in appearance, sunflowers have bright and generous blooms, making them suitable for ornamental display. Sunflowers grow quite quickly; usually about two months after planting they can bloom. Their flower forms are divided into single-petaled, double-petaled, or single-flowered and multi-flowered types, and the flowering period is quite long, reaching more than two weeks. The center of the inflorescence consists of bisexual tubular florets, brown or purple, which set seed. The achene is obovate or ovate-oblong, slightly compressed, with a lignified pericarp, gray or black, commonly known as a sunflower seed.
Sunflower uses:
First, the sunflower is a very good flowering ornamental plant. Ornamental varieties generally have the characteristic of being relatively short, usually not exceeding half a meter, so they are suitable for growing in pots. Second, sunflowers have very good economic value. The seeds contain fat, protein, vitamins and minerals. They are also all unsaturated fatty acids, which can promote cell regeneration, lower blood sugar levels, and prevent arteriosclerosis and coronary heart disease. Their protein content accounts for one quarter, and in particular the proportion of amino acids is very high; their potassium content exceeds that of bananas and oranges. They can not only be made into the much-loved sunflower seeds, but can also be pressed into a low-cholesterol, high-grade edible sunflower oil.
What is the sunflower's flower meaning:
"No willow catkins rise with the wind; only the sunflower leans toward the sun." The sunflower is a flower that yearns for light and brings people beautiful hope. Legend has it that in ancient times there was a farmer's daughter named Minggu, who was bullied and abused in every way by her stepmother. Once she angered her stepmother, and while she was sound asleep at night her stepmother gouged out her eyes. Minggu broke down the door and fled, and died not long after. After her death, a vivid yellow flower bloomed on her grave, facing the sunlight all day long; it was the sunflower. The sunflower expresses Minggu's yearning for light and her loathing of darkness. This legend inspires people to hate violence and darkness and to pursue light.
The sunflower's flower meaning is silent love, adoration, and loyalty. There is a legend that a beautiful water nymph fell in love with the sun god Apollo, but Apollo would not even glance at her. She could only gaze at the sky every day, watching Apollo drive his golden, resplendent sun chariot across the sky. She fixed her eyes on Apollo's journey until he set. In the end, the gods took pity on her and turned her into a large golden-yellow sunflower.