The sunflower promises power, warmth, nourishment—the attributes of the sun itself. In the Inca cultures of the Andes, the sunflower was revered. The flower’s image was hammered into gold and placed in the temple.
The sunflower’s muscular turning, as it follows the sun across the sky, provides an image of potent loyalty. The plant is also useful in every part—the seeds for eating, the stalks for fodder, the leaves for cloth.
This brilliant bold flower towers over the garden. Italian sunflowers have grown to forty feet tall. In Chinese symbolism, the sunflower represents longevity.