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The life cycle of a sunflower plant takes about 6 months to run its course. Within those times, a sunflower plant has a very interesting daily cycle especially during the budding stage. This stunning giant of a flower is actually made up of a multitude of florets arranged in a specific pattern that is the most effective possible for packing the most seeds into a flower head. The multipurpose sunflower plant may have an ever expanding role to play in today’s environment.
The beginning of the life cycle of a sunflower plant is the germination of the seed. Sunflower plants like most types of soil that is watered regularly so the timing of the germination is more important than the composition of the soil. In May, the seed softens in the soil moistened with spring rains and sprouts as the ground heats up. Sunflower seedlings grow tall quickly and, depending on the variety, at maturity may exceed twelve feet high. There are many vermin and birds that feed upon the sunflower seeds which can limit the number of plants that actually germinate. The growing season culminates in September and October with a show of the universally recognized huge composite flower heads.
As the life cycle of a sunflower plant proceeds, the budding stage develops. During this time, the sunflower plant exhibits a peculiar behavior called heliotropism. In the morning the sunflower plants will be turned to the east. Through the course of the day the leaves and buds will follow the sun to wind up facing west as the sun sets. Once the budding stage is past, this occurrence ends. The stalk becomes fixed below the flower head although the leaves will often exhibit some degree of heliotropism throughout the six month life cycle of a sunflower plant.
The sunflower cluster consists of sterile yellow, orange, or maroon ray florets arranged around the edge of a huge round dish filled with disc florets which are arranged in a spiral pattern that incorporates the golden angle, 137.5. The pattern consists of sequential Fibonacci numbers. A typical sized sunflower will have 34 spirals going one way and 55 spirals going in the opposite direction. Larger sunflower plants may have 89 spirals going in one direction and 144 going in the other. Amazingly this pattern is precisely the best to pack the absolute maximum number of seeds in the flower head.
Throughout history, the sunflower plant has been used by American native peoples and then by those in the European region when they were brought back from the newly discovered land. The thousand to two thousand seeds that are housed in a sunflower head are used as snacks, as ingredients in breads and cakes, and is a rich source of calcium and 11 other essential minerals. The cold-pressed sunflower seeds create fine cooking oil that is currently under research for the feasibility of usage as a biodiesel fuel.
The life cycle of a sunflower plant is long and fruitful in many ways. Beauty, food, power, and a sense of good will are all accredited to the glorious flower that has been revered since the beginnings of human culture in North and South America.
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Author Bio Box: Patricia Wainwright
Get all the facts about Plant Propagation and organic gardening at GreenThumbArticles.com!
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