Sunflower is the common name for annual and perennial herbs from the genus of composite flowers. Is has about 70 different species and is thought to be native of South America. Now they are seen just about worldwide. Some of the taller growing sunflowers reach about 12 feet in height and the flower can be almost a meter in diameter.

But hey, why do they always turn to face the sun?

Well, as it turns out, the daily orientation of the flower to the sun is the result of the differential growth of the stem. The plant produces a growth regulator or auxin that accumulates on the shaded side when conditions of unequal light prevail. Because of this, the darker side grows faster than the sunlit side. Thus, the stem bends toward the sun.

Well, that being answered, what is it used for?

Besides the beauty they bring and paintings, poems and songs they inspire, the plants are mostly cultivated for their seeds. Refined sunflower seed oil is edible and is favorably compared to olive oil. Some of the cruder oil is used in making soap and candles. The oil cakes (solid residue after the oil is expressed) are used as cattle feed. The raw seeds are used in poultry mixes and are consumed in vast quantities by baseball players. The roots of one species, called the Jerusalem artichoke can be eaten boiled, stewed or baked