Embraced by Sunshine - Sunflower

08/31/08 11:07:56

One of the most beautiful summer decorations which spills its golden colours over green meadows with its gorgeous, yellow faces turning towards rays of sun is certainly Sunflower. Many call it just a flower, which it is definitely not, since its head contains inflorescence, i.e. many tiny flowers, lined in a perfect order, so it seems like a whole floral bouquet is placed on the top of its stem.

The name of this plant derives from Greek word helios, meaning sun and anthos, meaning flower. Sunflower is an annual plant, the biggest and the most popular one among Helianthus plant family. It is very useful and is often planted in wetlands, since its roots go deep inside the ground and dry it out. Besides water, the root absorbs harmful molecules and it is excellent as a plant purifying the terrain of polluted ground.

Sunflower is a summer flower, since it flourishes from June to September or to the beginning of autumn. It is usually yellow, but also in orange and crimson nuances. The center of its floral head is composed of inflorescence, surrounded with 10 cm long petals. The products of central flowers are of dark brown and black colour, of oval and flat shapes. There are light grey seeds inside them and they are rich in proteins, plant fats, vitamins and minerals.

Sunflower seed is an essential part of human nourishment. It produces oil, since each seed contains 30 to 50% of plant oil in its ingredients. 20 grams of sunflower seeds satisfy human's daily need for vitamin E. Dried and fried seeds are rich in protein almost like meat, so they are often used in preparing meals.

Gentle oblong petals are used in preparing tea; they have bitter taste and pleasant aromas of honey.

Central inflorescence creates a unique mathematic model and motive presented by H.Vogel at his time. It had the form of Fermatsk's spiral, with meticulously pinpointed place of each flower in inflorescence.

This fascinating flower charmed many ancient civilizations. Indians used sunflower in their nutrition, made flour and filtered oil a thousand years B.C. It has been grown for centuries in China and Greece, where it is dedicated to god Helios. Aztecs crowned their priestesses with these flowers and Maya valued and respected this flower, preparing tea of its petals, used seeds, stems and leaves in nutrition. Sunflower was a flower of fertility and holiness for Maya.

Sunflower was inspiration for Vincent Van Gogh, and he placed these beautiful flowers on one of his master-pieces –Sunflowers.

Its aromas fascinate also perfumers, who include sunflowers in composition of their fragrances. Some editions which have this charming inflorescence is Paco Rabanne Ultraviolet Summer Pop – summer edition 2007, Bvlgari Petits en Mamans – gentle fragrance aiming at all generations, with an alcohol-free edition for children, La Collina Toscana (presented in the article Fragrant Seal of Tuscane) with their perfume dedicated directly to sunflowers - Hillock Sunflowers, perfume which celebrates summer aromas Escada Pacific Paradise, as well as Marc Jacobs - Splash Rain from 2006.

This beautiful gift of nature, decorating meadows with its looks, serves for nutrition and is very useful both for nature and for humans. Sunflower turns its head and petals towards the sun every day.