The bright, heliotropic bud of a young Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) soaks up the warmth of morning rays in a Bellemont prairie.
The Common Sunflower is our native; a smaller, wilder version of the Giant Sunflower (the large cultivated plant we often grow in our home gardens and from which seeds are harvested). They're often found marching along the edges and cracks our summer roadsides, where the seeds of maturing plants are dispersed by winds from vehicular passersby. Quickly reclaiming the periphery of vacant lots in the north country, or growing amidst the vast fields of our interior chaparral, semi-desert grasslands, and Pinyon-Juniper woodlands, they stand not unlike God's natural design for a solar array!
Though its common name comes directly from its Greek-derived genus, "Helianthus" (Helios = "sun"; anthos = "flower"), and its Spanish equivalent, "Girasol", literally means "turn with the sun"... this cheery fellow does not always track the sun, as is widely believed.
Many plants are known for their ability to track the movements of the sun by a process called solar tracking or heliotropism (aka phototropism). Some plants, like the Sunflower, do orient their leaves perpendicular to the rays of the sun in mornings and evenings to maximize photosynthesis. The flowers, however, do not necessarily exhibit these same movements. The misconception is driven by the fact that Sunflowers are often seen facing the same direction (typically an eastward orientation where the sun rises each morning). Immature flower buds (prior to full-bloom) will exhibit solar tracking and follow the sun across the sky from east to west on sunny days. In truth, however, as these gorgeous flowers mature and blossom, the stem stiffens and the flower become fixed ... facing the eastward direction we so often find them in!
To learn more about more about the specific cultural requirements of the Common Sunflower and other great natives to use in your gardens, take a minute to peruse the Sonoran Shadows Plant Library.
The Common Sunflower is our native; a smaller, wilder version of the Giant Sunflower (the large cultivated plant we often grow in our home gardens and from which seeds are harvested). They're often found marching along the edges and cracks our summer roadsides, where the seeds of maturing plants are dispersed by winds from vehicular passersby. Quickly reclaiming the periphery of vacant lots in the north country, or growing amidst the vast fields of our interior chaparral, semi-desert grasslands, and Pinyon-Juniper woodlands, they stand not unlike God's natural design for a solar array!
Though its common name comes directly from its Greek-derived genus, "Helianthus" (Helios = "sun"; anthos = "flower"), and its Spanish equivalent, "Girasol", literally means "turn with the sun"... this cheery fellow does not always track the sun, as is widely believed.
Many plants are known for their ability to track the movements of the sun by a process called solar tracking or heliotropism (aka phototropism). Some plants, like the Sunflower, do orient their leaves perpendicular to the rays of the sun in mornings and evenings to maximize photosynthesis. The flowers, however, do not necessarily exhibit these same movements. The misconception is driven by the fact that Sunflowers are often seen facing the same direction (typically an eastward orientation where the sun rises each morning). Immature flower buds (prior to full-bloom) will exhibit solar tracking and follow the sun across the sky from east to west on sunny days. In truth, however, as these gorgeous flowers mature and blossom, the stem stiffens and the flower become fixed ... facing the eastward direction we so often find them in!
To learn more about more about the specific cultural requirements of the Common Sunflower and other great natives to use in your gardens, take a minute to peruse the Sonoran Shadows Plant Library.
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