Sunflower
known to the local pollinating insects. While many sunflower species may begin
blooming in July, they are not as noticeable then as later on when they have grown up
and over the surrounding vegetation. There are eleven species of sunflower recorded
from Kansas. Most of them are perennials. Only the common sunflower and H.
petiolaris, the Prairie Sunflower, are annuals. Identification of sunflowers can be very
complicated because they frequently hybridize and even within species there is a high
degree of variability. With a little practice, however, the most common species can be
readily recognized.
The Common Sunflower has a long history of association with people. Nearly 3,000
years ago it was domesticated for food production by the Native Americans. The seeds
of the wild type of sunflower are only about 5 mm. long. It was only through careful
selection for the largest size seeds over hundreds of years that the cultivated sunflower
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