STATE FLOWER
Kansas's State Flower: The Sunflower
The sunflower (Helianthus annuus) lines Kansas roadsides each early fall, a fitting emblem for the Sunflower State.
An Ancient Domesticated Crop
Native peoples in the region domesticated sunflowers nearly 3,000 years ago, making it one of the oldest cultivated plants native to North America. More recently, sunflowers have drawn attention as a renewable energy source — the oil pressed from their seeds can serve as an alternative fuel.
QUICK FACT
Sunflowers exhibit heliotropism as young plants — their buds track the sun across the sky before the mature flower head fixes in one direction.
