The sunflower ("Helianthus annuus") is a living annual plant in the family Asteraceae, with a large flower head ("capitulum"). The stem of the flower can grow up to 3 metres tall, with a flower head that can be 30 cm wide. Other types of sunflowers include the California Royal Sunflower, which has a burgundy (red + purple) flower head.
The flower head is actually an inflorescence made of hundreds or thousands of tiny flowers called florets. The central florets look like the centre of a normal flower, apseudanthium. The benefit to the plant is that it is very easily seen by the insects and birds which pollinate it, and it produces thousands of seeds.
The sunflower is the state flower of Kansas. That is why Kansas is sometimes called the Sunflower State.
To grow well, sunflowers need full sun. They grow best in fertile, wet, well-drained soil with a lot of mulch. In commercial planting, seeds are planted 45 cm (1.5 ft) apart and 2.5 cm (1 in) deep.
The outer petal-bearing florets are the sterile florets and can be yellow, red, orange, or other colors. The florets inside the circular head are called disc florets, which mature into seeds.
The flower petals within the sunflower's cluster are always in a spiral pattern. Generally, each floret is oriented toward the next by approximately the golden angle, 137.5°, producing a pattern of interconnecting spirals, where the number of left spirals and the number of right spirals are successive Fibonacci numbers. Typically, there are 34 spirals in one direction and 55 in the other; on a very large sunflower there could be 89 in one direction and 144 in the other.
Sunflowers commonly grow to heights between 1.5 and 3.5 m (5–12 ft.). The tallest sunflower confirmed by Guinness World Records is 9.17 m (2014, Germany). In 16th century Europe the record was already 7.3 m (24 ft., Spain). Most cultivars are variants of "H. annuus", but four other species (all perennials) are also domesticated. This includes "H. tuberosus", the Jerusalem Artichoke, which produces edible tubers.
Sunflower "whole seed" (fruit) are sold as a snack food, after roasting in ovens, with or without salt added. Sunflowers can be processed into a peanut butter alternative, Sunbutter. In Germany, it is mixed together with rye flour to make Sonnenblumenkernbrot (literally: sunflower whole seed bread), which is quite popular in German-speaking Europe. It is also sold as food for birds and can be used directly in cooking and salads.
Sunflower oil, extracted from the seeds, is used for cooking, as a carrier oil and to produce margarine and biodiesel, as it is cheaper than olive oil. A range of sunflower varieties exist with differing fatty acid compositions; some 'high oleic' types contain a higher level of healthy monounsaturated fats in their oil than Olive oil.
The cake remaining after the seeds have been processed for oil is used as a livestock feed. Some recently developed cultivars have drooping heads. These cultivars are less attractive to gardeners growing the flowers as ornamental plants, but appeal to farmers, because they reduce bird damage and losses from some plant diseases. Sunflowers also produce latex and are the subject of experiments to improve their suitability as an alternative crop for producing hypoallergenic rubber.
Traditionally, several Native American groups planted sunflowers on the north edges of their gardens as a "fourth sister" to the better known three sisters combination of corn, beans, and squash.[9] Annual species are often planted for their allelopathic properties. However, for commercial farmers growing commodity crops, the sunflower, like any other unwanted plant, is often considered a weed. Especially in the midwestern USA, wild (perennial) species are often found in corn and soybean fields and can have a negative impact on yields.
Sunflowers may also be used to extract toxic ingredients from soil, such as lead, arsenic and uranium. They were used to remove uranium, cesium-137, and strontium-90 from soil after the Chernobyl disaster (see phytoremediation).
Peter Cushing
Peter Cushing, OBE (26 May 1913 – 11 August 1994) was an English actor. He is best known for his roles in horror movies and "".
Born Peter Wilton Cushing in London, England. His movie career began in 1939 in a small role in "The Man in the Iron Mask" (1939), followed by "Laddie" (1940). He interpreted the role of Osric, in the classic written by William Shakespeare, "Hamlet" (1948), with Laurence Olivier.
His best roles he played in his career were the Victor Frankenstein, in the British horror movie "The Curse of Frankenstein" (1957), by Terence Fisher he plays of role brilliantly, Victor creates a monster in the attic of his castle. His other role was that of Doctor Van Helsing in "Dracula" (1958), in this movie he must fight Dracula. In these two movies he was accompanied by another great actor Christopher Lee. They formed a very successful duo, starring in dozens of Hammer movies as "The Hound of the Baskervilles" (1959), "The Mummy" (1959), "The Gorgon" (1964), "Dr. Terror's House of Horrors" (1965). They clashed again as Van Helsing and Dracula, in "Dracula A.D. 1972" (1972), and "The Satanic Rites of Dracula" (1974).
Also re-interpret the character of Baron Frankenstein, in "The Revenge of Frankenstein" (1958), "The Evil of Frankenstein" (1964), by Freddie Francis, "Frankenstein Created Woman" (1967), "Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed" (1969), and "Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell" (1974), directed by Terence Fisher.
Peter Cushing also teamed with Vincent Price in movies including "Scream and Scream Again" (1970), "Dr. Phibes Rises Again" (1972), "Madhouse" (1974), which plays an evil agent movie., and "House of the Long Shadows" (1983).
In 1977 he obtained the role of Grand Moff Tarkin, in "Star Wars" by George Lucas.
In the last years of his career had appearances in some comedies "Top Secret!" (1984).
His last job was in 1986 in the movie "Biggles" (1986).
In 1982 he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He died of the disease in 1994.
Cushing also made ​television, in mystery series, including "Sherlock Holmes" (1968), as Sherlock Holmes, "The Avengers", "Great Mysteries", "Space: 1999", "The New Avengers", "Hammer House of Horror", and the TV movies "The Masks of Death" (1984), as Sherlock Holmes
Brian Krause
Brian Krause (born February 1, 1969) is an American actor. He grew up in El Toro, California. He is best known for his role as Leo Wyatt on the WB Network television series "Charmed" from 1998 to 2006.
Krause made his first movie as Richard Lestrange in the movie sequel "Return to the Blue Lagoon" (1991). A year later, he also starred opposite Alice Krige, playing Charles Brady in the horror movie "Sleepwalkers".
Brian and his wife Beth Bruce had their first child, Jamen, in 1996. They divorced in 2000. He dated co-star Alyssa Milano. During his time off the set, he enjoys being a handyman which was his job before acting (and was his character's job when he played Leo Wyatt on "Charmed"). He also enjoys golf and auto racing.
Julian McMahon
Julian McMahon (born 27 July 1968, in Sydney, Australia) is an Australian actor and former model. His father, Sir William McMahon was Prime Minister of Australia from 1971–1972. McMahon is best known for playing Cole Turner on the television series "Charmed", Doctor Doom in the 2005-2007 "Fantastic Four" movie series and Christian Troy on the series "Nip/Tuck".
Ted King
Theodore William King (born October 1, 1965) is an American actor. He was born in Hollywood, California. Ted King is also credited as T.W. King.