Sunflower:
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/facts-aboutsunflowers.html
"Helianthus," is the scientific name of the sunflower. It is a
combination of two words "Helios," meaning sun and "Anthos,"
meaning flower.
The national flower of Russia; dates back to nearly 3000 years. The
Great Russian ruler Peter while visiting Holland was so fascinated
by the sunflower, that he took the seeds back to Russia.
It has been found that in Peru, the Aztecs worshipped sunflowers.
They did so by placing sunflower images made of gold in their
temples and crowning princesses in the bright yellow flowers.
Interesting?
Well! Now that I have your attention, here are more flowery
facts:
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The sunflower plant can grow from 3 to 18 feet tall.
A sunflower only requires 90 to 100 days to grow.
A single sunflower can have up to 2000 seeds.
Growing sunflowers is a great way to attract birds to your
yard.
More than sixty different varieties of sunflowers can be
found in the world. Out of all these, the most common one
is bright yellow, with dark brown centers filled with seeds.
A sunflower head is made up of 1,000 to 2,000 individual
flowers that are joined together to a base. The large petals
that are found around the edge of a sunflower are
individual ray flowers, these do not develop into seeds.
A domesticated sunflower has a single-stem and a large
seed head. This is in contrast to the wild variety that is
highly branched with small heads and seeds.
A distinguishing quality of the sunflower is that its flowering
head tracks the sun’s movement. This occurrence is known
as "heliotropism."
Sunflower seeds are used to produce numerous things like
cooking oil, medicine, paint, animal feed and biodiesel.
In the last few years, a new form of low-pollen sunflower
has been created. This method will not only help reduce the
risk of asthma for pollen suffers, but also increase the life
of the flower itself.
New kinds of sunflowers that range from orange, tan,
maroon or striped petals are being created. Not only are
they different in color but, their centers are also green and
yellow instead of the original sunflower color we all love.
The tallest sunflower was grown in the Netherlands by M.
Heijmf in 1986 and was 25' 5.5" tall.
Kansas city has been nicknamed "The Sunflower State."
32.5", was the size of the largest sunflower head which had
been grown in Canada.
The Bonsai technique was used to make the shortest
mature sunflower record. The sunflower was grown and
was just over 2" tall.
http://www.gpnc.org/sunflower.htm
Common Name:
Common Sunflower
Scientific Name:
Helianthus annuus
Awards:
State Flower of Kansas - 1903
Kansas Wildflower of the Year 2000
In September the fields and roadsides of the Great Plains erupt in a blaze of yellow as the
sunflowers and goldenrods (also members of the sunflower family) make their presence
known to the local pollinating insects. While many sunflower species may begin
blooming in July, they are not as noticeable then as later on when they have grown up
and over the surrounding vegetation. There are eleven species of sunflower recorded
from Kansas. Most of them are perennials. Only the common sunflower and H.
petiolaris, the Prairie Sunflower, are annuals. Identification of sunflowers can be very
complicated because they frequently hybridize and even within species there is a high
degree of variability. With a little practice, however, the most common species can be
readily recognized.
The Common Sunflower has a long history of association with people. Nearly 3,000
years ago it was domesticated for food production by the Native Americans. The seeds
of the wild type of sunflower are only about 5 mm. long. It was only through careful
selection for the largest size seeds over hundreds of years that the cultivated sunflower
was produced. Lewis and Clark made mention in their journals of its usage by the plains
Indians. It was brought back to the Old World by the early European explorers and
widely cultivated there also. Today it is a common alternative crop in the Great Plains
and elsewhere for food and oil production. Next time you munch down on some
sunflower seeds, thank the many generations of Native Americans whose careful
husbandry gave us this valuable food item.
The wild cousins of those grown on the farm are still common, however, in fields,
roadsides and disturbed ground throughout the Great Plains.
The Common Sunflower is a typical member of the Asteraceae, one of the largest and
most successful families of plants. Within the structure we think of as the "flower", it
actually has two different types of flowers - ray and disk flowers.
The ray flowers have the big, straplike structures that we see around the edge of the
"flower" while the disk flowers occupy the middle of it. Within the Asteraceae, many
confusing combinations of the two are possible along with the total absence of one or the
other in some species! Individual ray or disk flowers may be male, female or both and
either fertile or infertile (do or don't produce seeds). In sunflowers, the ray flowers are
usually female and infertile. The disk flowers are both male and female and are fertile.
If you look closely at the center of a
sunflower you can see that the disk flowers
grow in a mesmerizing pattern of two
opposite spirals. This is most easily seen
either before the disk flowers open up or
after the seed has set and all the accessory
flower parts have fallen off. This is one of
the more interesting patterns in nature.
The rough-hairy quality of the Common
Sunflower is characteristic of many
members of its family. These little bristles
probably serve two functions: to
discourage plant-eating animals and to
conserve water in the plant by limiting
evaporation.
Members of the sunflower family are
popular with butterflies because the wide
flower head makes a good "landing
platform" and the numerous individual
flowers make for a high probability of
finding nectar. Monarch butterflies are
commonly seen nectaring on sunflowers
during their fall migration.
Whether as a source of food for people and wildlife or an eye-catching splash of color on
the landscape, the Common Sunflower is an important member of the prairie community.
* The language of the Kansas statute enacted in 1903 proclaiming the sunflower as a
Kansas state flower refers to it as the "wild native sunflower" and only mentions the
genus of the scientific name. It is assumed the legislation was intended to refer to the
species Helianthus annuus. The currently-accepted common name of that species is
"common sunflower".
Kansas Statute 73-1801 reads:
"State flower and floral emblem. WHEREAS, Kansas has a native wild flower common
throughout her borders, hardy and conspicuous, of definite, unvarying and striking shape,
easily sketched, moulded, and carved, having armorial capacities, ideally adapted for
artistic reproduction, with its strong, distinct disk and its golden circle of clear glowing
rays — a flower that a child can draw on a slate, a woman can work in silk, or a man can
carve on stone or fashion in clay; and
WHEREAS, This flower has to all Kansans a historic symbolism which speaks of frontier
days, winding trails, pathless prairies, and is full of the life and glory of the past, the pride
of the present, and richly emblematic of the majesty of a golden future, and is a flower
which has given Kansas the world-wide name, "the sunflower state": therefore,
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas: That the helianthus or wild native
sunflower is hereby made, designated and declared to be the state flower and floral
emblem of the state of Kansas."
Cottonwood:
Common Name: Eastern Cottonwood
Scientific Name: Populus deltoids
Awards: State Tree of Kansas (1937) and Nebraska
http://www.gpnc.org/cottonwood.htm
When the pioneers crossed the Great Plains on the Santa Fe or the Oregon Trail, they
often went for a long time without seeing any trees. The prairie was frequently seen as a
very foreign and hostile environment to people from the Ohio valley, the Appalachian
mountains or New England since they were used to forested surroundings. No trees
meant no wood for cooking. Dried bison dung was used for cooking fuel instead! No
trees also meant no shade, which can be very precious on a hot day in summer. This and
other factors led one early explorer to misname the area as the "Great American Desert".
There is a tree that is well-adapted to life on the prairie, however. You can recognize it
from afar during the growing season by the shiny leaves that shimmer and shake in the
wind. The pioneers were always glad to spot one of these trees in the distance, since it
offered the possibility of wood and shade. It also represented the chance of finding
water, since this species likes to keep its feet wet, so to speak. That species is the
cottonwood tree.
Cottonwoods can be either male or female. It is the fluffy white seeds produced
by the females during early summer that give the tree its name. [Cotton for clothing
comes from the true cotton plant (Gossypium sp.), not the cottonwood tree.] The
seeds are very small, 1mm wide by 4 mm long, which is quite remarkable considering
that they can become one of the largest trees in North America, up to 100 ft. high with
massive trunks over 5 ft. in diameter.
Trees had to survive prairie fires in order to live on the Great Plains.
Cottonwoods did this by typically growing on the edges of rivers and streams and by
developing a very thick, corky bark upon maturity. As their seeds are dispersed by the
wind, many end up landing on the surface of water and are then stranded along the
waterline on sandbars, islands and river banks. If the river level does not fluctuate too
much, allowing the seed to establish itself, a new monarch of the plains will begin its
life. As the water level drops with late summer droughts, one can often walk along a
sandbar and see a row of these newly sprouted cottonwoods at the former waterline.
Cottonwoods can live to be over 100 years old. There are cottonwoods on the
Great Plains today that were living when the great herds of bison still roamed the
prairie.
Cottonwoods are related to poplars and aspens, with which they share the same
shaking, shimmering leaves.
The heartwood typically rots from the larger limbs and trunk of a cottonwood. If
a windstorm breaks one of these hollow branches off, providing access to the interior,
they can provide homes for squirrels, raccoons, and opossums or even a hive of
honeybees.
After settlement, other kinds of trees became established across the Great Plains, due to
the control of wildfires and intentional planting of shelterbelts and woodlots. Ribbons of
forest follow the watercourses across the prairie where formerly only a few solitary
cottonwoods could be seen. These so-called gallery forests are a significant part of the
habitat mix on the Great Plains today, giving forest-adapted animals places to live they
never had before.
In summer, while looking over a cottonwood tree you may spot a large black and white
insect. This is the Cottonwood Borer, (a type of beetle) one of the largest insects in
North America! Click here to learn more about it!
As summer changes to
fall, the leaves of the
cottonwood turn a bright
yellow, making a vivid
contrast with the clear
blue skies of autumn. At
this time, they stand out
from the other trees
which share their habitat
nowadays, allowing one
to easily pick out the
cottonwoods - true
pioneers among the
latecomers on the
modern prairie.
http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/4dmg/Trees/cotton.htm
Cottonwood Tree (Populus freemontii)
The cottonwood tree (Populus fremontii)
grows 40 to 80 feet in height. It has a broad
open crown of widely spreading branches.
Cottonwoods grow only in wet soil and are
found along lakes, riverbanks and irrigation
ditches throughout the southwest.
Bark is gray, thick, rough and deeply
furrowed.
Many tall cottonwoods show signs of having
been struck by lightening.
Leaves are triangular, 3-5" long and wide and
shiny green. They turn bright yellow-gold in
fall.
Fruit consists of egg-shaped capsules, 1/2"
long, that mature in spring and split into three
parts.
The seeds are contained in cottony masses,
easily airborne.
Eriophyid mite galls are often seen on this
tree.
Photos: Judy Sedbrook
Sunflower:
It has been found that in Peru, the Aztecs worshipped sunflowers. They did so by placing
sunflower images made of gold in their temples and crowning princesses in the bright
yellow flowers.
The national flower of Russia; dates back to nearly 3000 years. The Great Russian ruler
Peter while visiting Holland was so fascinated by the sunflower, that he took the seeds
back to Russia.
State flower of Kansas
Height: The sunflower plant can grow from 3 to 18 feet tall.
A sunflower only requires 90 to 100 days to grow.
A single sunflower can have up to 2000 seeds.
A distinguishing quality of the sunflower is that its flowering head tracks the sun’s
movement. This occurrence is known as "heliotropism."
Sunflower seeds are used to produce numerous things like cooking oil, medicine, paint,
animal feed and biodiesel.
Scientific Name:
Helianthus annuus
Cottonwood Tree:
Scientific Name: Populus deltoids
Family: Salicaceae- Willow Family
Flowering Period: April
Height: A cottonwood grows from 40 to 80 feet. It has a broad open crown of widely
spreading branches.
Where Cottonwoods Grow: Cottonwoods only grow in wet soil
Found: Cottonwoods are found along lakes, riverbanks and irrigation ditches throughout
the southwest.
Appearance: the bark is gray, thick, rough and deeply wrinkled. Also many tall
cottonwoods show signs of having been struck by lightening. The leaves are triangular, 35" long and wide and shiny green. They turn bright yellow-gold in fall.
Fruit: The fruit consists of egg-shaped capsules, 1/2" long, that mature in spring and split
into three parts.
The seeds are contained in cottony masses, easily airborne.
Eriophyid mite galls are often seen on this tree.