Following The Sun With The Sunflower

Now that it’s Day Light Savings time, the madman is seeing more of the sun. That makes him happy. Watching him follow the sun across the sky reminds me of that Greek myth. You know, the one about Clytie, the sunflower and Helios, or is it Apollo? Those myths sure can get confusing. Some say Apollo, some say Helios. According to Homer, Helios was the Titan God of the Sun, and that’s good enough for us. Helios it is.

Clytie and Helios

Anyway, in the madman’s short version of the myth, Clytie is a water nymph who fell madly in love with Helios. At first, it worked. Then he saw Leucothoe, and you all know what roving eyes those Titan Gods had. An angry Clytie ratted them out to Leucothoe’s father. King Orchamus quickly put an end to this affair by having Leucothoe buried alive (Whoa there! Lighten up, dude!)

With her rival out of the way, Clytie figured she could have Helios all to herself. But, Helios wanted nothing to do with her. He simply ignored her as he drove his fiery chariot across the sky – pulling the sun on its daily trip from East to West. Clytie sat on the ground following his path day after day. Finally her legs sprouted roots and her face turned into a flower which followed the sun as it traveled across the sky – the sunflower.

It’s American, not Greek

This is where the madman’s confusion begins. “I thought the sunflower was native to the Americas,” he says. “So, how did it turn up in Greek mythology?” Over centuries, Homer’s works have been translated, interpreted and embellished into our modern-day collections of Greek mythology. And, somewhere along the line, the sunflower (Helianthus annus) found itself a niche. After all, it is the most well-known heliotropic flower. But remember, it is not the only heliotropic flower.

Perhaps if Linnaeus had been born a few centuries earlier, this confusion could have been eliminated. After all, all helianthuses are heliotropic, but not all heliotropics are helianthuses. Yeah, I know, sometimes that madman just makes my head hurt, too.

Heliotropium

Put another way, the myth of Clytie most likely refers to a member of the genus Heliotropium. The European Heliotrope, Heliotropium europaeum, is native to the Mediterranean. This flower, commonly called European Turnsole does follow the sun. Unfortunately, it doesn’t smell too good (sorry, Clytie). In fact, around here, if you want to have a sweet-smelling Heliotrope, you are more likely to plant Heliotropium arborescens. This plant hails from South America and has a sweet cherry pie scent. To add confusion to this, I have another “heliotrope” in my Moon Garden. Known as Garden heliotrope, Valeriana officinalis, is listed as a noxious weed in Connecticut. But the valerian roots are good for anxiety, and I live with the madman – need I say more?

Following The Sun

Ready for more? Plants don’t need to be a member of the Heliotropium genus to be heliotropic. They just have to follow the sun. And some do for some really good reasons – like the Artic poppy. Studies have shown that this heliotropic flower is a few degrees warmer than other nearby species. This extra heat allows for quicker flower development. It also attracts more pollinators seeking to gather pollen while staying warmer. This gives the poppy a bit of an advantage. Studies of Ranunculus montanus, a heliotropic alpine flower in Austria reported similar findings. The temperature inside the blooms was at least 2˚ C. warmer than the outside temperature. More insects visited and stayed longer in these blooms than in those of neighboring flowers.

Symbolic Sunflower

And that brings us to the most common heliotropic flower. Right about now the sunflower is on the mind of almost everyone. “Soniashnyk” is the national flower of the Ukraine. It has become a symbol of hope and resistance. Early in the conflict, a video showing a defiant woman offering sunflower seeds to Russian soldier went viral. She wanted the seeds in their pockets so flowers would grow when they died in her country. Now, to plant a sunflower means to stand in support of the Ukrainian people.

How did our North American sunflower come to mean so much to the people of Ukraine? It’s a long story that took place over centuries. The Native American tribes domesticated the plant before 1000 BC, using it for food, oil and dye. By the time the Spanish explorers arrived in the 1500s, the sunflower was common throughout the Americas.

Sunflower Finds A Home

The Spaniards brought it back to Europe where it was grown mostly as a curiosity. As time went on, growers discovered they could extract a high grade cooking oil from the seeds. The Russian Orthodox Church banned cooking with oil during Lent. But no mention was made of the then new sunflower oil. Its popularity skyrocketed, and as luck would have it, the black fertile soil of Eastern Russia and the Ukraine was ideal for sunflower growth. The plants thrived and the sunflower quickly became a staple of Ukrainian culture. The country accounts for nearly 25% of the world’s sunflower oil production.

Over the past few weeks, we have all heard about planting these beautiful flowers in solidarity with the Ukrainian people. This summer, we would love to see sunflowers on every street and next to every mailbox. In fact, many seed companies are donating the money received from sunflower seed sales to aid for the Ukrainian people.

Sunflower Says Summer

Nothing says summer like sunflowers. And, the madman remembers the bright yellow bouquets his mother set on the table for special occasions. He also remembers how she complained when the yellow sunflower pollen stained her bright white tablecloth. But, an accidental discovery in the 1980s changed this. Male-sterile flowers led to pollen less sunflowers. No more ruined tablecloths. No more stained wedding dresses. Sunflower popularity blossomed.

This was a boon for the floral industry. But the madman says, “Hold your horses! We still have to consider our native pollinators, especially the bees.” A pollen less sunflower head still produces nectar, so the madman’s friends, the skippers will be happy – they feast on nectar. And, although pollinating bees will visit the flowers for nectar, they still need pollen to feed their young. This means an extra trip to another flower. At a time when native bee populations are hurting, we really don’t need to add extra troubles for them.

Pollen For The Bees

Fortunately for the bees, there are plenty of pollen producing sunflowers. Look for the open pollinated varieties, and remember all heirlooms are open-pollinated. Some of the tall varieties suggested by UCANR in a Master Gardener blog are Mammoth Greystripe, Lemon Queen, Giant White Seeded and Henry Wilde. Native Americans in North Dakota grew the variety Arikara. When other flowers fade in fall, Autumn Beauty brightens the garden and offers late-season pollen. The variety Maximillian can be counted on for lots of blooms.

Have fun looking for your own sunflower varieties to plant, but remember that our native pollinators can’t survive on sunflowers alone. So be sure to mix in some other flowering species to keep them happy.

Oh, and one more thing. Remember Clytie and Helios? Her face followed the sun from East to West across the sky. Sunflower buds will follow the sun. But, mature flower heads will only look to the East.

The madman is looking East – actually, he’s just looking for some hot cocoa.