The common sunflower (Helianthus annuus) is a large annual forb of the genus Helianthus. It is commonly grown as a crop for its edible oily seeds.
Apart from cooking oil production, it is also used as livestock forage (as a meal or a silage plant), as bird food, in some industrial applications, and as an ornamental in domestic gardens. Wild H. annuus is a widely branched annual plant with many flower heads.
The domestic sunflower, however, often possesses only a single large inflorescence (flower head) atop an unbranched stem.
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- The plant flowers in summer.
- What is often called the "flower" of the sunflower is actually a "flower head" (pseudanthium), 7.5–12.5 centimetres (3–5 in) wide, of numerous small individual five-petaled flowers ("florets").
- The outer flowers, which resemble petals, are called ray flowers.
- Each "petal" consists of a ligule composed of fused petals of an asymmetrical ray flower. They are sexually sterile and may be yellow, red, orange, or other colors.
- The spirally arranged flowers in the center of the head are called disk flowers. These mature into fruit (sunflower "seeds").
*Wiki
Sunflower (Dwarf Sungold) - Helianthus Annuus
Sunflower ‘Dwarf Sungold’ is a dwarf sunflower that is also known as “Teddy Bear.”
The flowers have no outer petals and are composed entirely of shaggy disk flowers that give it a very distinctive appearance.
Flowering stems produce multiple blooms.
Plants grow 24-40 inches tall and can be grown in containers as well as beds and borders.
Recipient of the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit for reliable performance in the garden.