🔍 Sunflower | Helianthus annuus 🌻
📍 Seen in Cartago, Costa Rica 🇨🇷
💬 One of the most recognizable features of the sunflower is its ability to rotate its leaves, stems, and flower toward the sun. This movement has a name. It’s known as heliotropism, and it refers to the movements the sunflower makes in its search for the sun.
Flora
Common Sunflower | Helianthus annuus
Basic ID
Conservation Status
Least Concern
Other Common Names
Giant Sunflower, Common Sunflower
Plant Type
Annual herbaceous plant
Flower / Leaf Color
Bright yellow ray florets with dark brown central disk; broad green leaves
Lifespan
Annual
Size
Height
Up to 3 m (10 ft)
Spread
Up to 60 cm (2 ft)
Habitat & Behavior
Uses
Ornamental, edible seeds and oil, bird feed, soil remediation
Wildlife Attraction
Bees, butterflies, birds
Native Region
North America (central and western United States)
Current Distribution
Worldwide; cultivated and naturalized globally
Habitat
Open fields, roadsides, disturbed areas, rural highlands
Sources: IUCN Red List · Plants of the World Online · USDA PLANTS Database · Encyclopedia of Life