What exactly is the flower name of the sunflower? Explained clearly in one go

Other names for the sunflower

The sunflower is an annual herbaceous plant in the Asteraceae family, also known as "chaoyanghua" (morning sun flower), "wangrilian" (sun-gazing lotus) and "taiyanghua" (sun flower). The sunflower's place of origin is South America, and it is currently grown all over the world, including Europe, Russia and China.

The morphological characteristics of the sunflower

The sunflower's stem is a thick, sturdy, upright stem, overall round with multiple ridges, and covered with coarse white hairs.

The sunflower's leaves are generally alternate, usually oval or heart-shaped oval, with rough hairs on both sides of the leaf blade.

The sunflower's inflorescence is a very large capitulum, borne singly at the end of a branch or at the top of the stem, and it usually droops downward when in bloom.

The sunflower's fruit is an obovate or ovate-oblong achene, namely the "sunflower seed", with a lignified pericarp that is black or grey.

The growth habits of the sunflower

Sunflowers can be planted in all four seasons, and summer and winter are best. Sunflowers grow very quickly; from planting to flowering usually takes only about 2 months, and the longest flowering period is about two weeks or more.

The value and uses of the sunflower

Edible value: because sunflower seeds contain a large amount of oil, they have very high edible value and are a very good oil crop; they can be pressed for oil or stir-fried for eating.

Medicinal value: many parts of the sunflower plant can be used as medicine, with various effects such as clearing heat and resolving phlegm, dispelling wind and detoxifying, and draining dampness and relieving pain.

Purification value: the sunflower has a greening function of remediating soil; while its root system absorbs nutrients, it can also extract harmful pollutants from the soil.

The flower language of the sunflower

The sunflower's first symbolic meaning is "the sun", and it also has other meanings such as "adoration" and "silent love".