Sunflowers Content

How Sunflowers See the Sun

Andy Fell — October 31, 2023 - 11:00am

Sunflowers famously turn their faces to follow the sun as it crosses the sky. But how do sunflowers “see” the sun to follow it? New work from plant biologists at the University of California, Davis, published Oct. 31 in PLOS Biology, shows that they use a different, novel mechanism from that previously thought.

“This was a total surprise for us,” said Stacey Harmer, professor of plant biology at �� and senior author on the paper.

Circadian Clock Controls Sunflower Blooms, Optimizing for Pollinators

Andy Fell — January 17, 2023 - 11:00am

An internal circadian clock controls the distinctive concentric rings of flowering in sunflowers, maximizing visits from pollinators, a new study from plant biologists at the University of California, Davis, shows. The work is published Jan. 13 in eLife.

Why Sunflowers Face East

Andy Fell — August 10, 2021 - 1:30pm

Sunflowers face the rising sun because increased morning warmth attracts more bees and also helps the plants reproduce more efficiently, according to a study by researchers at the University of California, Davis. The results were published Aug. 9 in New Phytologist.

Sunflowers Move by the Clock

Andy Fell — August 04, 2016 - 1:56pm

Plant biologists at �� and colleagues have discovered how sunflowers use their internal circadian clock, acting on growth hormones, to follow the sun during the day as they grow. Following the sun allows the plants to grow faster and put on more biomass. Mature flowers face east, where warm morning sun encourages pollinators.