Do you sometimes get a nice warm fuzzy feeling about a favourite flower? Well, maybe you don’t, but I do - with sunflowers – always looking like sunny, happy flowers. They might be the first flower a child might plant - with adult backup of course - being a popular first planting experiment because it grows so fast, so tall and so big.

Latin name Helianthus annuus, they are an annual plant with a large daisy-like flower face. Its scientific name comes from the Greek words helios (‘sun’) and anthos (‘flower’). The flowers come in many colours - cream to gold, yellow, orange, red, mahogany and chocolate brown, even pink. Interestingly, while growing, they tilt to face the sun during the day to gain more sunlight for photosynthesis. This tracking of the sun by the plant is known as ‘heliotropism’ and continues for a short time when the sunflower plant blooms – hence the name ‘sunflower’.


Nutritious and Delicious - The seeds are edible, and have a whole range of health benefits, and can be picked up in many supermarkets as health foods. Packed with loads of nutrients, sunflower seeds are actually fruits of the sunflower. These tiny white coloured seeds are encased in greyish black shells, and these soft seeds have a mild nutty flavour that can be roasted to increase their taste or just eaten as they are. One large flower head, which could measure more than 30.5 cm in diameter, may contain up to 2,000 seeds. But if you see blue sunflower seeds for sale, be wary, because there aren't any blue sunflowers in nature.

Portugal grows around 13.6 tons annually, on an average of around 8.2 hectares, but the majority come from the Russia and Ukraine, where between them over 30 million tons were produced, although these figures might be different now due to the ‘disturbances’ between the two countries.


What about Sunflower Oil? - Oil yield extracted from the sunflower seed ranges from 35 to 80 gallons per acre. Sunflower oil is a heart-healthy oil that's high in poly- and monounsaturated fats, as well as vitamin E, a potent antioxidant. Replacing saturated fat with poly- and monounsaturated fats is associated with a lower risk of heart disease, so obviously a healthy option when buying oils. The quantity of oil extracted from the seed varies depending on growing conditions, post-harvest seed handling, and whether it was extracted through chemical or mechanical methods. Seeds are characterized by a high oil content of 40–45% with 14–18% proteins and 25–30% hulls that predominantly consist of non-digestible crude fibre.


The technical stuff - Apparently there are different types of sunflower seeds- The ones you buy in the shops is the edible seed and is white with a black stripe, and known as confectionary (or non oil) sunflower seeds, which can be eaten directly as a snack. Others have either high oleic acid or high linoleic acid content and these are the ones used for extracting the oil, with their crops being called oilseed sunflower crops. Each sunflower seed variety has unique contents of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. It is used as cooking oil, while the protein-rich deoiled cake or meal is used as a component of animal feed formulations. Several perennial species of sunflower are also grown in gardens.


Credits: Unsplash; Author: engin akyurt;

What is special about a sunflower? - What does a sunflower symbolise? Sunflowers symbolise loyalty and adoration thanks to the myth of Clytie and Apollo. And, because of their association with the sun, sunflowers are well-known for being a happy flower and the perfect bloom for summer flowers to brighten someone's mood! If selecting fresh ones, sunflowers should last from six to twelve days with proper care. To maximize the vase life, look for flowers that are just starting to fully open. Choose strong, straight stems with perky flowers that look at you.

There’s a saying: ‘A sunflower field is like a sky with a thousand suns’ - so true! And perhaps we could all use a sunflower’s advice: Be bright sunny and positive. Know your roots. Spread seeds of happiness. Rise, shine and hold your head up high.

Author

Marilyn writes regularly for The Portugal News, and has lived in the Algarve for some years. A dog-lover, she has lived in Ireland, UK, Bermuda and the Isle of Man. 

Marilyn Sheridan