Sunflowers belong to the Asteraceae family, and they all have a composite head (capitulum) made up of masses of simple flowers (florets) that individually generate a seed if pollinated successfully.Sunflowers are pentamerous flowers, meaning they have five or more petals. Sunflowers generally have 1,000-1,400 florets per head, with the possibility for seeds.Sunflowers require at least six hours of unfiltered sun every day to thrive. During long, hot summer seasons, they blossom profusely. Sunflowers bloom during summer and into fall. Sunflowers appear in a variety of colors and can be seen following the sun all day, although they are most common in late summer and early fall.Pollenless sunflowers come in a wide range of colors and shapes. The one thing they do not have is the pollen that may stain clothing, but other than that, they come in a wide range of colors, sizes, and shapes, just like any other sunflower. Blooms range in color from classic yellow to rose-gold, creamy white, crimson, burgundy, orange, and even lime green, with heights ranging from 2-8 ft tall (0.61-2 m).If you liked this article, you may find it interesting to learn where do truffles come from, and where does grass seed come from here on Kidadl.Where do non-pollinating sunflower seeds come from?Sunflower seeds are ready to harvest when the rear of the sunflower head turns from green to yellow to brown. In the field, a single harvesting machine chops the stems, feeding parts of the sunflower head through a machine to remove the seeds. Everything except the seeds is returned to the earth as mulch to avoid soil erosion and to provide additional nutrients for the crop the following season.Pollenless sunflower types are sunflowers produced exclusively for cutting. These flowers are no doubt familiar to sunflower lovers. Florists and caterers are crazy about them and for a good reason. Sunflowers without pollen do not shed vivid yellow pollen, which is a huge help if you have ever attempted to remove the sticky golden tint from a white tablecloth. There are now so many pollenless sunflower cultivars available that you may discover cultivars in a variety of hues, those with a branching habit, those that grow on a single stem, and kinds that bloom on different schedules.Pollenless sunflowers have less to offer bees. Flowers provide nectar and pollen for bees. Pollen is their only source of protein. While they may take nectar from pollenless flowers, they will need to return to other blooms to get the pollen they require for their diet. When the rear of the flower head turns entirely dark brown and the bloom seems to be dead or dying, the seeds are ready to harvest. The majority of the petals, if not all, will have fallen off 12-18 in (30-45 cm) below the top of the bag.Pollenless sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) release no pollen from because the hundreds of individual florets that make up sunflower heads are male-sterile. This would be disastrous in the wild, but it is a good thing for hybridization. Previously to avoid accidental self-pollination when making a new variety, hybridizers had to carefully snip out all the tiny pollen-bearing anthers from the bloom they wished to utilize. The pollen had to be carefully carried by hand from the male parent bloom to the emasculated female parent flower. This was a long and arduous operation. However, hybridizers can simply release a few bumblebees into a greenhouse, housing a pollenless sunflower and a conventional bisexual (hermaphroditic) sunflower. Bees will then transport viable pollen from the bisexual bloom to the male-sterile flower, resulting in hybrid seeds forming on pollenless flowers.Initially, pollenless sunflowers were only used for hybridization and never made it into people’s gardens. However, someone noticed that pollenless sunflowers had a future in the florist industry. Flower arrangers adore them because there is no pollen to brush away, and pollenless sunflowers last longer in the vase.Where do sunflower seeds that you eat come from?Seeds of the sunflower plant (Helianthus annuus) are officially the fruits of the sunflower plant. Seeds come from this plant’s huge flower head, which may reach a diameter of more than 12 in (30.5 cm). A single sunflower head can contain up to 2,000 seeds. Sunflower seeds (Helianthus annuus L.) originate from the dry heat of the sunflower plant and are high in fats, protein, vitamins, and minerals.Sunflower crops are divided into two categories. Seeds are cultivated for one kind, while the oil is abstracted to make sunflower oil. Sunflowers are predominantly farmed for sunflower oil. The inedible black-and-white striped shells, sometimes known as hulls, surround sunflower seeds. The shells of seeds used to extract sunflower oil are solid black. Sunflower seeds have a sturdy but delicate texture and a pleasantly nutty flavor. They are usually roasted with salt to improve the flavor, but you may eat them raw as well. Large flower heads of sunflowers yield more sunflower seeds. The edible kind has a mild nutty flavor. Vitamin E and selenium are particularly abundant in sunflower seeds. These antioxidants protect your body’s cells from free radical damage, which is linked to a number of chronic illnesses. Sunflower seeds are also high in beneficial plant chemicals such as phenolic acids and flavonoids, both of which act as antioxidants.The plant components in sunflower seeds increase as they sprout. Sprouting also minimizes the number of elements that might obstruct mineral absorption. Sunflower seeds that have sprouted and dried can be purchased online or in select shops. They are great as a snack, in baked products, or on top of salads or yogurt. However, since you can buy them whole or shelled, you should not eat the shells because they are indigestible.Where do green sunflower seeds come from?This surprising green color shift in sunflower seeds is caused by a reaction between baking soda (an alkali) and chlorogenic acid, a substance found in sunflower seeds. According to one hypothesized mechanism, the participation of alkali in causing this greening reaction can be explained by the same chemical features that make them promoters of Maillard reactions.Chlorogenic acid is a carbon ring with two adjacent hydroxyls (–OH) groups that is an ester of quinic acid and caffeic acid. Protons are drawn away from these hydroxyl groups in alkaline circumstances, leaving two negatively charged oxygen atoms, making it simpler for the molecule to be oxidized by air at these sites. Following that, the oxidized chlorogenic acid molecule can react with a primary amine, such as an amino acid, allowing it to unite with another oxidized chlorogenic acid molecule. The result of this condensation event is a bigger, yellow-colored molecule that quickly oxidizes to generate our questionable greenish pigment. Sunflower seeds were an obvious option for the first experiments with this reaction. Sunflower seeds were hulled and gently boiled in baking soda-alkalized water. Sunflowers seeds rapidly took on a warm, golden tone, and the fluid foamed vigorously due to a reaction between bicarbonate and the seeds’ endogenous acids or the beginnings of saponification. The seeds were drained and permitted to oxidize to an intense shade of green when the first signs of green appeared around the borders of the container.When boiled seeds were roasted until crisp, the shrimpy flavor of the seeds became even more intense, however, they lost their unusual greenish color in the process. High temperatures appear to break down the pigment. Sunflower seeds are not the only foods that contain chlorogenic acid. Coffee, peaches, and burdock root also have significant amounts of the compound.Where do sunflower seeds come from on the plant?Scrape the dried-out remains of small petals off the central disc with your hand or a knife. Greenish-yellow buds or powdery debris covering the seeds might be mistaken for petals. The finest part is still to come by removing the seeds from the flower head. When a sunflower is ready to harvest, grab the stem about 6-8 in (15-20 cm) below the flower head and cut through it with a sharp knife or pruners. The next step is removing the seeds from the flower head, which is made easier by cutting off some of the stem along with the flower head.Cut the stem approximately 1 in (2.5 cm) below the head when the seeds are fully matured and just beginning to detach from the head. Briskly massage the seeds off the head with your hand, blowing off the chaff, and dry the seeds before storing them. You can eat the seeds from any sunflower. However, eating seeds from a sunflower grown for its edible seeds is much simpler than eating seeds from a sunflower cultivated for its flowers. Sunflower seeds are heavy in fat, with the majority of them being polyunsaturated. Polyunsaturated fatty acids may benefit your heart. However, this is only true if they are consumed in moderation and in substitute for meals rich in saturated and trans fats.To make your own sunflower seeds, tie them together with rope and hang them for five days in a warm, dry location. Sunflowers should be hung to dry for four to five days. Place a sunflower shell vertically or horizontally between your molars using your tongue. Separate the sunflower seed from the shell by cracking the shell with your teeth. After that, spit out the shell and consume the seed. Sunflower seeds are also eaten in a number of cuisines around the world.It is time to harvest your sunflowers once they have totally withered back and the backs of the blooms have turned brown. You will also note that the seeds have become plump and sloppy. Cut the stem approximately 1 ft (2.5 cm) down from the flower head using sharp scissors or pruners, and place it in a container that can collect any lost seeds. To support your pole beans in the garden, make circular pole bean teepees out of dried sunflower stems. Check to see whether the seeds are plump and mature once the calyx has turned brown. If any of those brown calyces have fallen out on their own, it means they are ripe and ready to be picked. Annual sunflowers are harvested once the petals have begun to droop and fall. You have two options for catching sunflower seeds. The first option is to make sure you have a bucket or another suitable container handy. Rub the seeds (kernel parts) from the blossom head and into the container below with your thumbs. You can split the heads into tiny pieces to make this operation easier. Gently brush together two ripe heads (or two pieces) over your bucket or other containers. Some gardeners enjoy eating them straight off the dried blossom, enjoying the earthy taste of raw sunflower seeds straight from the garden by cracking the shells with their teeth. You might also like to save some to plant next year or make suet cakes to put in your bird feeder during the winter months to keep the birds that visit your garden happy. Save a few raw seeds in an envelope or jar for planting and keep them cold and dry until planting time. The majority of people seem to prefer roasted seeds. You can roast and flavor sunflower seeds with salt because they are more flavorful and easier to crack open. They make a tasty salad dressing, a healthy on-the-go snack, and sunflower butter. You can also dry a bunch of sunflower heads in the garden if you do not have enough space to hang them. Keep an eye on them until the green on the back of their seed heads becomes yellow or brown.The widest range of birds feed on sunflowers. Large amounts of sunflower seeds in some seed mixes could attract bigger seed-eating kernel birds. To keep birds and squirrels from eating your seeds, tie a paper bag around sunflower seed heads. Cut the stalk 18-24 in (45-60 cm) below the paper bag. Turn the flower head in the paper bag upside down. Hang it by the stalk in a dry, warm, and well-ventilated area. The flower head takes one to five days to completely dry and turn black or dark brown. Place the filter in the paper bag and close it halfway to allow air to flow in the stalk. Depending on your growth zone, cultivar, and planting date, this might happen at any time during the year, from July to October. You may consume the seeds immediately in their raw state or roast sunflower seeds with a little salt. You can also preserve some to sow next season after gathering them. The great thing about planting sunflower seeds is that you will almost certainly have enough for all three!Do sunflowers regrow each year?Sunflower plants are either annuals, needing to be replanted each year, or perennials, returning year after year from the same plant). It is not hard to tell the difference because annual sunflowers that have been reseeded will not appear until late April.An annual sunflower, which can be found in many gardens during the summer, comes in a variety of hues and sizes, and its seeds must be sown each year. It is connected to other sunflower kinds that do not need to be replanted every year or grow plants that are not the same as the annual variety. Annual sunflowers come in a variety of sizes and may be grown in most regions. Small kinds like Teddy Bear and Music Box only reach 2- 3 ft (0.6-0.9 m) tall, yet enormous types like Mammoth or Russian Giant may reach 8 ft (2.4m). Small variants can be planted in pots or amid other annuals in a small flower garden. Complex sunflowers range in size from 5 -12 in (12-30) or more. Each sunflower has an outer ring of brilliant, showy petals that surrounds a core of many miniature blooms known as an inflorescence, which is where sunflower seed generation occurs. Larger varieties of seeds are a valuable food crop, as well as a source of food for birds and cattle.Annual sunflowers are sensitive to the winter season and should only be planted once the soil temperature has reached at least 55 F (12 C). You may also start them in pots six weeks before the last frost date. Sunflowers grow best in full sun, in warm weather, and in a wind-protected location. They may grow in any sort of soil as long as the pH is between 6.0 and 7.5, which is slightly acidic to slightly alkaline. Sunflower seeds are big and simple to handle and should be planted in holes 1 in (2.54 cm) deep and 4-6 in (10-15 cm) apart from mid-April to late May. Larger types should be trimmed to approximately 2 ft (0.6 m) apart, with rows about 30 in (76 cm) apart, and may require staking to keep the flower heads from splitting. Perennial sunflower variants like Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus), also known as sunchoke (Helianthus tuberosus), and beach sunflower (Helianthus debilis), develop tall, bushy plants with numerous bloom heads on several stems. Their roots are huge and take up a lot of areas, generating new plants and tuberous growths that may be gathered for future plantings and are tasty, like sunchoke. These plants grow fast and their roots spread out wide. This means they can soon become invasive, so place them in a location where this will not be an issue. Otherwise, all of a plant’s tubers and root parts must be dug out so that it does not continue to produce unwanted crops.The beach sunflower, like the sunchoke, is a spreading perennial with pale yellow rays around a tiny central bloom that attracts birds and butterflies. Sunchoke grows in USDA plant hardiness zones 3 through 10, whereas beach sunflower thrives in USDA plant hardiness zones 8b through 10. Tuber sections for planting should have two or three buds and should not be allowed to dry out before being planted.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked finding out where do sunflower seeds come from, then why not take a look at How to find worms? Can you spot worms at the surface? or How tall is a grizzly bear? Amazing grizzly bear facts for kids.
Sunflowers belong to the Asteraceae family, and they all have a composite head (capitulum) made up of masses of simple flowers (florets) that individually generate a seed if pollinated successfully.
