helianthus

Neo-Latin helianthus combines Greek helios ('sun') and anthos ('flower'). The name was applied to the American plant by European botanists in the 16th century after Spanish explorers brought seeds back from the Americas. The Aztecs and other Mesoamerican peoples had cultivated sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) for at least 3,000 years, using the seeds for food, oil, and dye.

The English word sunflower is a direct translation of helianthus. The folk belief — that sunflowers follow the sun across the sky — is partially true. Young sunflower stems do track the sun (heliotropism), turning east to west during the day and resetting overnight. But once the flower head matures and blooms, the tracking stops. Mature sunflowers face east permanently. The myth of the eternally turning flower is a story about youth.

Peter the Great brought sunflower cultivation to Russia in the early 1700s. The Russian Orthodox Church had banned butter and most oils during Lent, but sunflower oil — a New World product not on the restricted list — was permitted. Russian farmers planted millions of acres. By the 19th century, Russia was the world's largest sunflower producer. A religious loophole made an empire.

Van Gogh painted his sunflower series in Arles in 1888-1889 — seven paintings that became among the most famous works of art in history. He painted them to decorate Gauguin's room. 'Sunflower Paintings,' one of which sold for $39.9 million in 1987, were originally housewarming gifts. The American flower, cultivated in Russian fields, became immortal in a Dutch painter's French studio.