Friday, July 13, 2007

"SUNFLOWERS'


A FEW SUNFLOWER FACTS

Did you ever wonder how Sunflowers got their scientific name Helianthus? It comes from two words, Helios meaning sun, and Anthos, meaning flower. The sunflower "often" follows the sun, and this characteristic is how got its name.

The Sunflower is a good bee plant, ours have been covered in bees this summer.

In many parts of Europe sunflowers have provided/and still provide leaves for smoking, flower buds for salads, flowers for dyes, and oil for cooking.

I read somewhere that there are 67 species of sunflowers, growing in the various countries of the world, but I have a feeling...that the number is way higher now :-)

The sunflower is not one flower, but a cluster of more then 2000 tiny flowers growing together...go and have a closer look next time you come face to face with one.

A sunflower's head can grow to be as big as 2 feet across and the plant itself can be as tall as 18 feet. Well this year our tallest one got to over 10 feet tall, so maybe next year they will be taller :-)

The tallest sunflower grown on record was 25 feet tall and was grown in the Netherlands. Well I wonder if this record has been beaten yet?

The largest sunflower head on record measured 32 1/2 inches across its widest point and was grown in Canada. Again, I wonder if this year this record has been beaten.

The shortest mature sunflower on record was just over 2 inches tall and was grown in Oregon using the Bonsai technique. Wow that is tiny, we grew some short ones this year, but they were still taller than we thought when fully grown.

The sunflower is the state flower of Kansas.

The sunflower is the national flower of Russia.

The French word for Sunflower is tournesol, or literally "turn with the sun".
and In Spain and Italy: Girasol
and In Germany: Sonnenblume

Flower Meaning -
Dwarf Sunflower: Adoration
Tall Sunflower: False Riches


"Keep your face to the sunshine
and you cannot see the shadow.
It's what sunflowers do."
by Helen Keller

Have a great weekend everyone...

10 comments:

TO BECOME said...

That was a very interesting blog. My oldest daughter (in law) is from Kansas. She loves Sunflowers. They are so pretty. I love your music. connie from Texas

The Sisters said...

Hey Mom,
That was a really Interesting Post!
Love you,
Holly&Katie

Unknown said...

Connie
I am glad you dropped in and thanks for your nice comments. I hope you have a great weekend.
((((Hugs))) Lisa

Unknown said...

Katie & Holly
Thanks for the comment.I love you both and have a fun weekend. Momma :):)

Nanny said...

Hello Lisa,
Thank you so much for sending me a note. It is so good being in touch with you once again and I am looking forward to hearing from you more.
The girls have grown so much. Give them all a hug and kiss from me.
Love you,
Nanny Birt

Unknown said...

Janice,
Thanks for dropping by. I love your picture. Your still as pretty as ever! I look forward to your comments. Have a blessed day.
Lisa :)

Chyrll said...

We enjoyed reading the post about the sunflowers. The picture is so pretty!

Unknown said...

Chyrll
Thanks for the comment. I hope you have had a wonderful day! Take Care
Lisa ^A^

Kristi said...

That was a neat lesson on sunflowers!

~Kristi

Unknown said...

Kristi
Thanks for the comment.Love ya Lisa