Sunflower seeds are the fruits of the annual herbaceous plant sunflower, which belongs to the Asteraceae family and the Helianthus genus. The stem of the sunflower is thick and upright, and the whole plant is densely covered with hairs; the seeds are achenes, with the outer ring of seeds larger than the inner ring, shaped long, oval, or nearly round, and come in various colors, including pure white, gray, or black stripes. The flowering period of sunflower seeds is from June to July, and the fruiting period is from August to October.

Sunflower seeds are the fruits of the sunflower. Sunflowers belong to the Asteraceae family and the Helianthus genus. They are annual herbaceous plants. Also known as sunflower, in ancient Chinese texts, they are referred to as passionflower, tall chrysanthemum, and sun flower, while in Europe, they are called sunflowers, and in some countries, they are referred to as sun grass, turning sun lotus, and morning sun flower. Sunflowers are native to the southwestern part of North America and were originally wild species, later cultivated for ornamental purposes, quickly spreading around the world, and were introduced to Europe in the early 16th century.

In China, sunflowers have been cultivated for at least nearly four hundred years. In the past twenty years, the production of sunflower seeds has developed rapidly, and the global sunflower seed output has become the second most important oilseed after soybeans, with widespread cultivation in China.

There are different names for sunflower seeds in various regions. For example, in Lingbi, Anhui, sunflower seeds are called "turning lotus," possibly because sunflowers turn with the sun, and their shape resembles that of a lotus flower; in Mongolian, they are called "Narin flower," meaning sun flower, and many Mongolian women have names derived from "Narin flower."

The article is sourced from Baidu Encyclopedia https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E8%91%B5%E8%8A%B1%E7%B1%BD/588599?fr=ge_ala