4 Sort of Interesting Facts About Sunflowers

When people think about Sunflowers, tall, bright, and yellow are characteristics that typically pop into your brain. But there are other variations that are less commonly known. One of the things that makes these flowery, beautiful gifts of nature so dynamic is the variety of shapes, sizes, and colors that can be found around the world, and even on the moon, if you consider their cousin, the nocturnal Moonflower.

Let’s take a gander at 4 semi-fascinating facts about Sunflowers that you might not know about.

#1 ==> You Might Think All Sunflowers Are Yellow. You'd Be Wrong.

A common misconception a lot of people have is that Sunflowers are only yellow. Actually, they come in quite a few gorgeous colors such as Orange, Purple, and Red.

Yellow Sunflowers

Examples of yellow Sunflowers are Zohar, Elegance, and American Giant. These types of Sunflowers are rich and vibrant and were quite possibly invented for instagram posts.

The American Giant is one of the tallest sunflowers. They grow up to fourteen feet tall and can be twelve inches wide. 

Red Sunflowers

Roses are red

Violets are blue

There's also Sunflowers that happen to be red too

Red sunflowers come in several different variations. Some have Daisies that are similar to yellow Sunflowers. Red sunflowers are often used in bouquets to provide a nice burst of color.

Purple Sunflowers

Purple sunflowers are excellent for cutting to use in bouquets as they have no pollen.

Chianti Hybrids have a really deep red-purple hue. With purple stems they look stunning in gardens.

#2 ==> Sunflowers Have a Dwarf Species.

As far as height goes, Sunflowers are categorized as either Dwarf Sunflowers or Tall Sunflowers.

Dwarf Sunflowers grow to be up to 2 feet tall. They thrive in small pots, so they can be kept indoors or of course outside in the Dwarf Garden. 

Commonly, dwarf sunflowers grow in groups and are best grown in small pots and gardens. They are known as dwarfs because they do not usually grow more than 3 feet tall.

Some varieties of Dwarf Sunflower include Little Becka, Pacino, and Suntastic Yellow. 

Both Tall and Dwarf Sunflowers need lots of sun to grow.

Tall Sunflowers can grow to be over 16 feet tall in some instances, and their stalks can be a foot wide.

Russian Mammoth, Sunforest Mix, and Skyscraper are a few types of Tall Sunflowers. Tall Sunflowers make birds giddy due to their height and abundance of super scrumptious seeds. Sunflower fields can be great spots to enjoy watching or photographing many types of birds.

#3 ==> Sunflower Oil Has Some Impressive Health Benefits.

Sunflower oil is beneficial to your skin. It’s been shown to contain anti-inflammatory properties. It contains fatty acids that can repair your skin and help in the reduction of water loss.

Sunflower oil can also lower your cholesterol. It has a high level of polyunsaturated fat, making it a good alternative to butter. The American Heart Association also has a study showing that more polyunsaturated fats can reduce cholesterol numbers.

Too much Sunflower oil however can potentially have negative health risks, so while it can be an excellent source of health benefits, you do want to exercise some moderation.

#4 ==> Sunflower should be capitalized.

I know because I googled it before writing this blog post, just to make sure. And google doesn't lie. Am I supposed to capitalize google? Probably, but I'm not going to bother checking. GoogleStalk is infinitely more creepy than SunflowerStalk, and not nearly as marketable on t-shirts.

What's your favorite thing about Sunflowers?