KANSAS STATE FLOWERS

The Sunflower (Helianthus annus) is the Kansas State Flower. The genus, Helianthus contains about 67 species, and is thought to be native to the Americas. Sunflower was domesticated around 1000 B.C. Sunflowers are grown or cultivated as ornamental plants.

Kingdom

Plantae

Division

Magnoliophyta

Class

Magnoliopsida

Order

Asterales

Family

Asteraceae

Genus

Helianthus

Species

Helianthus annuus

The Sunflower is actually a head (formerly composite flower) of numerous small, tubular flowers surrounded by a fringe of large yellow petals. A large, solitary Sunflower blossom, sometimes as large as a meter in diameter, is composed of yellow ray flowers and a central disk of either yellow, brown, or purple flowers, depending on the species. A Sunflower head may measure more than 1 foot in diameter and produce up to 1,000 seeds.

The outer flowers on the Sunflower are the ray florets and can be yellow, maroon, orange, or other colors. These flowers are sterile. The flowers that fill the circular head on the Sunflower inside the ray flowers are called disc florets. The ray flowers on the Sunflower are usually female and infertile. The disk flowers on the Sunflower are both male and female and is fertile.

There are many online florists who deliver flowers to Kansas. You can send flowers, plants of your choice to your loved ones living in Kansas or from Kansas to other locations across the United States of America through these popular Kansas Online Florists.

• The Sunflower is regarded as the floral emblem of Peru, and is one of the city flowers of Kitakyushu, Japan.
• On a Sunflower, typically there are 34 spirals in one direction and 55 in the other; on a very large Sunflower you may see 89 in one direction and 144 in the other.
• Sunflowers in the bud stage exhibit heliotropism. The Sunflower head turns and faces toward the sun throughout the day.
• Sunflower is a tall plant known for its showy yellow flowers. There are more than 60 species of sunflowers.
• Sunflower seeds are rich in protein. They yield a high-quality vegetable oil used in making margarine and cooking oil.
• In many parts of Europe Sunflowers provide leaves for smoking, flower buds for salads, flowers for dyes, and seeds for making Sunflower oil for cooking.

Facts About Kansas

• The total area of Kansas is 82,282 square miles.
• Major Industries include agriculture (wheat and other grains), aircraft manufacturing, automobile manufacturing.
• Bordering States of Kansas include Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma.
• Nicknames of Kansas include, Sunflower State, the Midway State, and the Wheat State.
• Dinosaur Fossils Found in Kansas include Claosaurus, Hierosaurus, Nodosaurus, Silvisaurus.
• The population of the state is estimated at 2,688,418.(as of 2000); Kansas is the 32nd most populous state in the USA.
• Kansas has a continental climate, with cold winters and hot summers.
• Colleges and universities in the state include : the University of Kansas, Kansas State University (1863), Wichita State University (1895), Emporia State University (1863), Washburn University of Topeka (1865); and the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College (1881).
• Major museums in the state include the Kansas State Historical Society Museum.
• From the mid-19th century, Kansas has had an economy based on the cultivation of wheat and on cattle ranching.
• Kansas has popular tourist and recreational attractions, including the restored frontier town of Dodge City and Tuttle Creek Reservoir.
• Each year visitors to Kansas contribute more than $2 billion annually to the Kansas economy.
• The state's most important mineral resources are petroleum and natural gas.