Showing posts with label flower. Show all posts
Showing posts with label flower. Show all posts

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Sunflowers

Sunflower Helianthus annuus is an annual plant native to the Americas. It possesses a large inflorescence flowering head, and its name is derived from the flower's shape and image, which is often used to depict the sun. The plant has a rough, hairy stem, broad, coarsely toothed, rough leaves and circular heads of flowers. The heads consist of many individual flowers which mature into seeds, often in the hundreds, on a receptacle base. From the Americas, sunflower seeds were brought to Europe in the 16th century, where, along with sunflower oil, they became a widespread cooking ingredient. Leaves of the sunflower can be used as cattle feed, while the stems contain a fibre which may be used in paper production.