Latin name: Helianthus
Location: Sunday School Garden
What it looks like:  Sunflowers will only be visible between Spring and Autumn. They have tall, thick green stalks with one flower on the top of each. The flower has a large brown centre which is surrounded by smaller deep yellow leaves. 
History: All Sunflower species originate from North and South America and the plants have been around for over 500 years!
How to eat it:  Seeds form in the flower head once it has finished flowering. You can dry the seeds out and eat them raw or use them in cakes and bread. If eating raw you are best removing the stripy shell. You can use the Sunflower seeds in our Sunflower Seed Cheese and Seedy Sweet Potato Damper Bread recipes!
More information: Ancient civilisations used to dry out the stalks of Sunflowers and use them as building materials!