With their wonderful yellow flowers, sunflowers are the epitome of summer and radiate good humor.
Do you think people have always seen it that way?
The wild sunflower already existed about 4500 years ago, both in the Mississippi region (USA) and in Mexico and later in South America.
The indigenous peoples of North America used sunflowers primarily as a food source, while Central and South American peoples used them more for ritual purposes and as an ornamental plant.
It had a very special position with the Incas.
Since they saw themselves as sons of the sun, they worshipped the sunflower as a symbol of their sun god.
Sunflowers - divine and beautiful
Here you will learn where the sunflower was worshipped as a symbol of a sun god, how it came to Europe and what we used it for.
Finally, sunflower seeds were brought to Europe by Spanish sailors, where they were cultivated from 1552 onwards as an ornamental plant.
It took a long time before their value as food was discovered.
It was not until the 17th century that the seeds were used for bakery products, and it was not until the 19th century that sunflowers were discovered as an oil plant.
Fancy some more sunflower themes?
The sunflower is full of positive symbolism
The sunflower has always had fans, not only among indigenous peoples, but also among monarchs and hippies. This is the symbolism of the sunflower.
Not all sunflowers are yellow and tall
What do you think the sunflower looks like? Yellow? Big? That is correct. But sunflowers can look completely different.
How to keep sunflowers in the vase
Would you like a wonderful bouquet of sunflowers? We'll tell you what you need to do to make the wonderful summer feeling last as long as possible.
Sunflowers - divine and beautiful
Here you will learn where the sunflower was worshipped as a symbol of a sun god, how it came to Europe and what we used it for.
Sunflowers with detoxifying properties
Did you know that sunflowers and sunflower oil have detoxifying properties and are used for both oral hygiene and agriculture?
Sunflowers: faithful followers of the sun
How did the name «sunflower» come about? What do other people call it? And when can a sunflower show us the direction?
Useful information about sunflowers in a pot
For sun worshippers and summer fans, potted sunflowers are a must. We will tell you what to look out for.