sunflower

sunflower

sunflower any plant of the genus Helianthus of the family Asteraceae ( aster family), annual or perennial herbs native to the New World and common throughout the United States. In cultivation, the flower heads, commonly having yellow rays, sometimes reach 1 ft (30 cm) in diameter. The common sunflower ( H. annuus ) is an annual, native from Minnesota to Texas and California and perhaps also in Central and South America. Native Americans cultivated the plant and found many uses for it: the nutritious seeds were eaten raw, made into a meal, or used as a source of hair oil; a yellow dye was obtained from the flower heads, and a fiber from the stalks; the roots of certain other species were eaten. Today the common sunflower is widely cultivated; it is particularly valued in the countries of the former Soviet Union, where the seeds are made into bread. The seeds are almost universally used as a poultry food and principally as the source of an oil utilized for such purposes as cooking and soapmaking; the oil cake is fed to stock. The common sunflower is the state flower of Kansas, and a sunflower is regarded as the floral emblem of Peru, where it was revered by the ancient sun worshipers. Several other species are in cultivation—some are garden flowers; the Jerusalem artichoke is a food plant. Other plants are sometimes called sunflower. Sunflowers are classified in the division Magnoliophyta , class Magnoliopsida, order Asterales, family Asteraceae.

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"sunflower." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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sunflower

sunflower Any of several annual and perennial plants of the genus Helianthus, native to North and South America. The flower heads resemble huge daisies with yellow ray flowers and a centre disc of yellow, brown, or purple. The seeds yield a useful oil. The common sunflower (H. annuus) has 30cm (1ft) leaves and flower heads more than 30cm (1ft) across; height: to 3.5m (12ft). Family Asteraceae/Compositae.

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"sunflower." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"sunflower." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 12, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-sunflower.html

"sunflower." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved February 12, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-sunflower.html

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sunflower

sun·flow·er / ˈsənˌflou(-ə)r/ • n. a tall North American plant (Helianthus annus) of the daisy family, with very large golden-rayed flowers. Sunflowers are cultivated for their edible seeds, which are an important source of oil for cooking and margarine.

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"sunflower." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"sunflower." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 12, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-sunflower.html

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sunflower

sunflower Annual plant, Helianthus annuus, introduced into Europe from the Americas by the Spanish in 1510.

An important commercial source of edible oil (low in saturates, 12%, approximately 70% polyunsaturated); residual oilseed cake is used as animal feed.

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DAVID A. BENDER. "sunflower." A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

DAVID A. BENDER. "sunflower." A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 12, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O39-sunflower.html

DAVID A. BENDER. "sunflower." A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. 2005. Retrieved February 12, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O39-sunflower.html

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sunflower

sunflower (Helianthus annuus) See COMPOSITAE.

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MICHAEL ALLABY. "sunflower." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

MICHAEL ALLABY. "sunflower." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (February 12, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O7-sunflower.html

MICHAEL ALLABY. "sunflower." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Retrieved February 12, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O7-sunflower.html

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sunflower

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"sunflower." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"sunflower." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 12, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-sunflower.html

"sunflower." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 12, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-sunflower.html

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