Sunflowers: Popular, native and, for some, newly meaningful

THE annual sunflower (Helianthus annus) has a long history in North America, with evidence of its cultivation for food, ceremonial and medical use by Native Americans dating back to at least 1,000 B.C.

Sunflower seeds are said to have been brought to Europe by Spanish explorers around the late 16th century, and eventually found their way to Eastern Europe. Ukraine is now the world’s leading producer of the plants.

Grown commercially mostly for snacks and oil, the pollinator-friendly plants — some of which can reach 10 feet tall — have enjoyed new popularity in recent years as farms and fields have opened to people seeking “sunflower selfies.” Photos of visitors standing shoulder-deep in flowers have become ubiquitous on Instagram and Facebook.

This year, sunflower images are all over social media for another reason too: as a symbol of support for embattled Ukraine.

It’s easy to grow your own sunflower field