Wednesday, Jul. 17, 2013 - 6:40 p.m.
The Sunflower
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the giant sunflower was hybridized in what is now Ontario when it was still inhabited by the prototype Iroquois, The largest plumpest seeds were selected and the plants lavisly watered and fed fish meal.. result was science fiction sized flowers.
The Iroquois din;t eat them but prepared a sunflower oil used just for dressing their hair, Jesuits sent select sunflower seeds back to France where Louis 14, the Sun King- adopted it as his own emblem and grew it in his royal gardens. Rather than let something so huge and golden fall to the lower classes, he forbid the giant sunflower cultivated by anyone other than himself. Later he gave seeds to other European Monarchs and royalty so they too could grow the king of flowers: the commoners could behold but could not have for themselves,
The Japanese Royal house grew Chrysanthemums and forbade their culture amongst the commoners until WW2- when the Yanks broke their spell and allowed commoners to grow them.
Meanwhile back in Europe- sunflower seeds were delivered to Russian ruler Peter the Great with instructions to only allow the Royals to cultivatye these regal flowers, Peter flipped them the bird and went out of his way to distribute sunflower seeds to everybody in Russia. These giant sunflowers were called Mammoths- the old Russian word for seriously large. That name Mammoth was much later afixed to the frozen elephants..
Sunflower seeds were cultivated large scale in Russia for human and animal food long before they were grown commercially elsewhere, and for so long were they common in Russia their true origins in Ontario were almost forgotten..
now you know, but do you care ?
