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.
- 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 (Ice Cream) - Helianthus Debilis
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- Sunflower ‘Ice Cream’ is a different species than other sunflowers.
- It is a cultivar of Helianthus debilis, which is native to coastal areas of the Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states.
- It is perennial in warmer climates but can be grown as an annual in cold climates. The unique, cream-colored flowers have chocolate centers that are surrounded by golden yellow halos.
- Recommended for the home garden as well as mass plantings. It attracts large numbers of native bees and butterflies, and birds will eat the seeds.
- Plants are drought and salt tolerant and make a good stabilizer for sandy soils.