1. sunflower By: Alejandra Aldana Prieto Maria Camila Alban Daniela Barragán Maria Camila Bohórquez
2. History The sunflower is native to the Americas and its cultivation dates back to 1000 BC The earliest evidence suggests that the sunflower was first domesticated in Mexico at least 2600 years BC In many American Indian cultures, the sunflower was used as a symbol representing the deity of the sun, mainly Aztec and Otomi in Mexico and the Incas in Peru. Francisco Pizarro found it on Tahuantinsuyo (Peru), where the natives worshiped an image of sunflower as a symbol of their sun god.
3. Gold figures of this flower, and seeds were brought to Europe in the early sixteenth century. Helianthus, as it is known scientifically, means "flower that rotates with the sun" in Greek, because of its ability tropic helium. In Greek mythology there is a water nymph named Clytie, a daughter of the god Oceanus and sea goddess Tethys (mythology). Clytie fell in love with Apollo and watched him daily since he left his palace in the morning until she reached the west in the afternoon.
4. According to legend, after a few days became a sunflower Clytie and still do not forget the object of his love and follows the sun in his daily rounds. Anyway, the word "sunflower" and its cognates existed long before the Helianthus annuus was brought to Europe. Some scholars think that the myth of Clytie, which refers to Ovid's Metamorphoses, actually refers to heliotrope or Calendula.
6. uses of the plant Pipes or sunflower seeds are usually consumed after a light roast and sometimes slightly salty, are considered very healthy because, as the sunflower oil is very rich in dextro α-tocopherol (natural vitamin E) and minerals, but intake should be avoided by young children and can cause choking in them, for their part virgin sunflower oil, but does not possess the qualities of olive oil does have four times the dosage of natural vitamin E oil oil.
