Sunflower

Tall Sunflower. Annual Sunflower. Helianthus annuus.

Stem from five to eight feet or more in height; leaves heart-shaped, rough, three-nerved; flowers very large, terminal, nodding; the seeds are large, ovoid, angular, or compressed, nearly black, sometimes striped with white, and retain their germinative properties five years.

The plant is a native of South America.

Dwarf Sunflower. Law.

H. Indicus.

This species, which was introduced from Egypt, differs from the last principally in its more dwarfish habit of growth, but also in being less branched. The flowers are much smaller, and generally of a lighter color.

Soil and Cultivation.—The Sunflower will thrive in almost any soil or situation, but succeeds best on land adapted to the growth of Indian Corn. It is always grown from seed, which should be sown in April, or the beginning of May, in drills three feet apart. When the plants are well up, they should be thinned to a foot asunder, and afterwards cultivated in the usual manner; stirring the ground occasionally, and keeping the plants free from weeds. The flowers appear in July, and the seeds ripen in August and September. The central flower is first developed; attains a larger size than any that succeed it; and ripens its seeds in advance of those on the side-branches. The heads of seeds should be cut as they successively mature, and spread in a dry, airy situation for three or four weeks; when the seeds will become dry and hard, and can be easily rubbed or threshed out.

Use.—"The seeds of both species yield an oil little inferior to that of the Olive for domestic purposes, and which is also well adapted for burning. In Portugal, the seeds are made into bread, and also into a kind of meal. They are also sometimes roasted, and used as a substitute for coffee; but the purpose for which they seem best adapted is the feeding of domestic fowls, pheasants and other game. The greatest objection to its culture is, that it is a most impoverishing crop, particularly the Large or Common Tall species."—M'Int.