It is surprising that little is known about the origin of the sunflowers name. The beautiful and proud sunflower got its name from the Greek word Helianthus ” Helios for sun, and anthos, flower. The sunflowers head worships the sun and actually follows the suns heavenly trek in the sky from sunrise to sundown, everyday. Carbon dating of sunflower seeds found in ancient North American dwellings proved that the sunflower was an important source for food 3000 years ago.

The journals, chronicling the travels of Lewis and Clark through the strange country that is now the US, mentioned the existence of sunflowers, their versatility and importance in early agriculture. According to the journal, the plant had several and amazing uses. It was used for decoration, snacks, and was processed to make cooking oil.

Currently, Argentina has the largest number of acres under sunflower production, with Russia second then the United States which has over three million acres under seed production. Any trip through the central plains of the Dakotas, Kansas or Texas will let you see them for miles, as sunflowers are second only to soy beans as an oil producing plant.

Currently, sunflower production is threatened by the diminishing bee population. Because sunflowers are reproduced by bee pollination, sunflower production is endangered. This worries farmers and flower gardening enthusiasts.

The seeds of the sunflower provide a rich source of nutrients. It is packed with phytochemicals, minerals and vitamins essential for lowering blood pressure and other ailments. It is also great for cardiovascular health. It is hard to beat sunflowers as an important source of nutrients for the bodys needs.

The sunflower can grow to a height of fifteen feet and this gives sunflower farmers reason to rejoice. With the help of modern farming technology, farmers can reap a thousand pounds of sunflower seeds per acre in a single crop. Still there is more to the sunflower; it is an awesome decoration and can serve as an inspiration, proof is Van Goghs famous sunflower painting. Is this not enough reason for loving the sunflower on its merits alone?

Unfortunately many sunflower farmers are no longer into community farming or most have transported themselves to places where it is not conducive for sunflower farming. It is therefore impractical to even wish to have sunflowers at any time.

Despite the skyrocketing cost of transporting and farming the plant, it still becomes a pleasure for sunflower lovers like us to receive the flowers as gifts or use the flowers as decoration for special occasions. But this is impractical in the light of the present economy.

At present, with the advent of newer manufacturing processes and smart technical design tools, you can still have your sunflowers, one of the natures oldest but prettiest creations, but this time you have to live with imitation sunflowers. You can have your favorite sunflower all year round. The quality materials used in the reproduction of the real thing are so authentic; you will not be able to resist having artificial sunflowers around you. Whats more, it is so difficult to guess you are dealing with an imitation.