ABSTRACT
Radiant and dazzling, the common sunflower has pleased and fascinated mankind for centuries. From the early Hopi Indians who adorned their hair during ceremonies with showy wild blossoms, to the Spanish explorers who introduced the colorful North American flower into European botanical gardens, to the contemporary family with a splashy yellow bouquet on the kitchen table, all are bonded across time and cultures in their passion for the “flower that turns toward the sun.” The sunflower continues to captivate the admiration of artists and gardeners, poets and photographers, the old and the young, for its extraordinary beauty and appeal. However, beyond its pure visual delight, there has also existed, for millennia, a life-sustaining role of the sunflower as a healthful, nourishing food source for humankind.
