The blossoms of the sunflower can be very different depending on the sunflower variety. Some strains only have a single flower, while others are profusely branched and produce many flowers. Experts distinguish between four types.
Depending on the intended use, the size and appearance of the sunflower blossom varies
The four types of sunflower blossom
The flower shows what the sunflower is preferably cultivated for:
- oil type
- food type
- ornamental type
- lining type
The oil type has a particularly large number of tubular flowers, while the edible type has many large, fairly loose seeds. Pure ornamental sunflowers usually produce several flowers.
When 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
The size of the flowers of a sunflower depends on the variety. Small sunflower blossoms are up to 18 centimeters in diameter.
The flower diameter of giant sunflowers can even be more than 40 centimeters.
tips and tricks
Most hobby gardeners only know the sunflower with yellow ray florets and brown tubular florets. There are many breeds with red, flamed and orange outer flowers. The tubular flowers can also bloom brown, yellow or green.