What Is the Origin of the Sunflower Plant?

Origins

• Native to central North America, the sunflower is the state flower of Kansas. It was originally used by Native Americans as a food source in mush and meal. Sunflower oil was extracted from the seeds and used for cosmetic purposes. The stalk was used as a building material, and clothing and body dyes where made from its petals.
  
  

Travels

• The Spanish took sunflower seeds back to Europe where it was planted in gardens for its beauty. Peter the Great, the czar of Russia, introduced the plant to his country. The sunflower was first grown commercially in Russia, mainly for its oil which was used in cooking and industry. In the United States, the sunflower was bred to develop a large single-headed flower. These sunflowers were re-introduced to the United States through trade and immigration.
  
  

Breeding

• In 1926, the Missouri Sunflower Growers Association began to process sunflowers for oil. This led to large-scale commercial production in the United States, which in turn led to the development of hybridized sunflowers, designed to withstand disease and increase yields.