The flowers of the sunflower can be very different depending on the sunflower variety. Some varieties only bear a single flower, while others are richly branched and produce many flowers. Experts distinguish between four types.
How are the sunflower flowers different?
The sunflower flowers vary depending on the sunflower variety and are divided into four types: oil type (many tubular flowers), food type (large, loose-fitting seeds), ornamental type (multiple flowers) and food type (smaller flowers, many leaves). The flower size ranges from 18 cm to over 40 cm in diameter.
The four types of sunflower flowers
The flower shows what the sunflower is primarily grown for:
- Oil Type
- Food type
- ornamental type
- Feed type
The oil type has a particularly large number of tubular flowers, the food type has many large, fairly loose-fitting seeds. Pure ornamental sunflowers usually produce several flowers. If the sunflowers are grown as fodder for livestock, varieties with small flowers that have a particularly large number of leaves are sown.
The size of the flowers
How large the flowers of a sunflower grow depends on the variety. Small sunflower flowers have a diameter of up to 18 centimeters.
The flower diameter of giant sunflowers can even be more than 40 centimeters.
Tips & Tricks
Most hobby gardeners only know the sunflower with yellow ray florets and brown tubular flowers. There are many varieties with red, flamed and orange outer flowers. The tubular flowers can also bloom brown, yellow or green.
