Plant Profile: Sunflowers
Posted by niilaaci aacimwaapiikonki on Friday, September 12
September is the time for Sunflowers to bloom. The sunflower is one of the oldest domesticated plants in North America and has been cultivated by Indigenous peoples for thousands of years. In the Changing Gardens Through Time we have two different types of sunflowers. In the foreground we see the domesticated sunflower which is commonly known as the Hopi Purple Dye Sunflower, while the other in the background is commonly known as the Maximillian Sunflower. Here’s a little more information on these beautiful, nutritious, and useful plants!
Common Name: Maximillian Sunflower
Latin Name: Helianthus maximiliani
Dakota/Lakota Name: wahca zi tanka (big yellow flower)
Cultural Uses: The seeds are eaten raw or roasted and added to foods. Parts of the plant are used as sources of food, oil, dye and thread.
Common Name: Hopi Purple Dye Sunflower
Latin Name: Helianthus annus ‘Hopi Purple Dye’
Cultural Uses: The seeds are eaten raw or roasted and added to foods. These seeds are grown especially for use as a dye.
