SunflowersNature

Lesson 52

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Every part of the sunflower has a use for something, and no part goes to waste. Native Americans have used the sunflower plants for centuries. The plants are native to

the United States, and they rank as one of the four major crops of global importance. One of the unique aspects

about sunflowers is that their heads follow the movement of the sun.

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Sunflower roots helped clean contaminated water in Chernobyl. According to Botany Global Issues,

sunflowers were grown on floating pieces of styrofoam and placed over the contaminated water. The sunflower’s roots removed 95 percent of the

radioactivity in 24 hours.

Read more: http://www.ehow.com/list_6735411_uses-sunflower-plant.html#ixzz216X5Dkxm

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It seems like there is no end to the sunflower's uses. People use the flowers to make a dye. The stems are used to make a number of things like paper, clothes and microscope slide mounts. Years ago, people used pieces of the stems to fill life preservers and many

people burned them when firewood was scarce.

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One acre of sunflowers can provide more oil than one acre of soybeans. An acre of sunflowers is able

to produce six hundred pounds of oil that can be used for cooking. Sunflower oil is also used to make soap, lubricants, and candles and has been used to treat

skin conditions.

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Sunflower stalks have been used as fuel, fodder for livestock, food for poultry, and ensilage. Seed hulls can be

used for “litter” for poultry or returned to the soil or composted. Hulls can also be used in fuels. Stems are also

used as a source of commercial fiber, and the Chinese have used this fiber for the manufacturing of fabrics.

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The plant is used for dyes, for teas, for poultices, for food, and for oil. Charles H. Lange, an anthropologist

at the University of Texas, wrote that “among the Cochiti, a reliable ‘home remedy’ for cuts and other

wounds is the juice of freshly crushed sunflower stems. The juice is smeared liberally over the wound,

bandaged, and invariably results in a speedy recovery, with never a case of infection” (http://

plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/cs_hean3.pdf)

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Raw sunflower kernels are nutritious for humans. The kernels contain 55 percent protein. Other vitamins and

minerals in sunflowers include B, E and A vitamins, phosphorus, nitrogen, calcium and iron. If you remove the flowers when they are just buds, they can be cooked and eaten like artichokes. Sunflowers also provide a source of food for birds and animals. They retain their flower heads filled with seeds, so during the cold winter months, animals

can find food. Sunflowers are a staple ingredient in the majority of commercial birdseed, and the leaves are often

used to make feed for livestock.15