Common Sunflower

plants · flowers · food · garden

Big bright bloom. The common sunflower is a tall annual plant in the daisy family, often standing on a single unbranched stem with one giant flower head on top.

Two seed types. Its edible seeds come in two kinds: oilseeds used to make cooking oil, and confectionary seeds eaten as snacks or baked into treats.

World's oil champ. Sunflower oil is the fourth most-used vegetable oil in the whole world, grown on farms across the globe.

Snack for animals. Sunflower seeds aren't just for people, they're also popular food for birds and farm livestock.

Wild vs. tame. Wild sunflowers grow many flower heads, while the domestic kind usually has one big head, and some types are grown just to make gardens beautiful.