The sunflower is a familiar plant that has the distinction of being the only widely used crop species that originated in North America. Although Native Americans domesticated the plant and selected fo...The sunflower is a familiar plant that has the distinction of being the only widely used crop species that originated in North America. Although Native Americans domesticated the plant and selected for plants with single heads and larger seeds, its initial use after being introduced into Europe was primarily as an ornamental plant in gardens. It first became popular as a crop plant in Russia, largely as a consequence of edicts from the Eastern Orthodox Church concerning diet restrictions during
