Sunflower

THE SUNFLOWERS

Is an annual herbaceous plant of the family Asteraceae, native to America and cultivated as food, oilseed and ornamental worldwide.

Annual plants (as indicated by its Latin specific name: annuus) that can measure three meters high. The stems are usually erect and hispidus. Most of the leaves are cauline, alternate, petiolate, cordate based and serrated edges. The underside is usually more or less hispid, sometimes higher glandulosa and glabrous. The involucre is hemispherical or anchado and measures 15-40 mm to over 20 cm. Involucral bracts 20-30 in number, and to more than 100, oval to lanceolate - severely narrowed at the apex - ribbed longitudinally, edge usually hispid or hirsute, like the outer surface glabrous rarely. Receptacle with tri-dentate centimeter scales, with the largest median tooth and tip hirsuta. The florets, 15-30 in number, and up to 100, from yellow to orange to red, measuring 2.5-5 cm; florets of 150-1000, the same color with reddish-brown stamens. The fruits are achenes oval, somewhat truncated at the base, 3-15 mm long, glabrous or nearly so, striated by very fine vertical grooves, dark, often almost black - but can also be whitish, reddish, or honey-colored well spotted or lighter longitudinal stripes. The pappus consists of two scales lanceolate, 2-3.5 mm accompanied by up to four splayed escamitas 0.5-1 mm, all deciduous early.

TEACHER: Carmen Hernández students: Luz Dias

4 TH cs Yadiris Delgado

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