Helianthus Annuus

Scientific Name : Helianthus Annuus Common Name : Sun flower Family : Asteraceae Order : Asterales

Kingdom - Plantae

Order - Gentianales

Genus - Helianthus

Species - annuus

Origin / Native - Asia, Mexico, North America

Height - Up to 9.5 feet

Spread - Up to 2.8 feet wide

Type - Annual

Category - Herb

Flowers - Large, showy, bright yellow, 38 petals, 10 inches wide, blooms always facing sun.

Foliage - Green, large, broad, coarsely toothed, wavy margins, alternately arranged leaves, erect, woody, hairy unbranched upright, stem, Dwarf sunflower and few other varieties contain many alternately arranged branches and each branch produces small flowers.

Fruits - Edible, black[outer cover] and white[inner seed]

Flowering Colors - Red, maroon, maroon wth yellow, cream, yellow, black maroon

Light requirement & Care - Full sun, average, dry, moist, well drained soil, average water, low maintenance

Propagation - Seeds

Special feature - Drought, poor soil tolerant

Attracts - Butterflies, birds, bees

Growth Rate - Fast

Good For - Garden plant, pots, borders, garden beds, containers, mass planting

Uses- Ornamental plant, oil, cooking

Food Source[seeds] for- Birds

Diseases- Powdery mildew, Leaf spot

Tamil- Suryakanthi flower

Hindi- Surajmukhi

Sunflower garden

Disk florets of sunflower

Mass sunflower planting

Ray florets

Photographs: Guna Selvi Camera: Nikon D40x Location : Kundadam, Dharapuram, Erode, Tiruppur, Tamil Nadu, South India, India