Host an Event Volunteer Join Tickets

Support the plant database you love!

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?

Share

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Search Smarty Plants
See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

 
rate this answer
156 ratings

Monday - February 27, 2006

From: Delhi, India
Region: Other
Topic: General Botany
Title: Why do sunflowers turn towards the sun?
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

Why do sunflowers turn towards the sun?

ANSWER:

Heliotropism is the term used to describe the tracking of the sun by the flower buds of sunflowers. Other plants also have flowers and/or leaves that track the sun. First, let's discuss how the plants are able to track the sun. There is a collection of specialized cells at the base of the flower bud or leaf called a pulvinus that carry the "motor" cells that enable the plant leaf or flower to track the sun. These cells enlarge or shrink according the turgor pressure from the water inside them. In response to blue wavelength light, potassium ion concentration increases in the "motor" cells on the shadow side of the pulvinus. With the increase of potassium ions the osmotic potential in the cells becomes more negative and the cells absorb more water and elongate, turning the face of the flower to the sun.

It is easy to understand why heliotropism is advantageous for leaves. Turning the leaf perpendicular to the sun provides maximum sunlight to power photosynthesis. At mid-day, to avoid overheating, these same leaves may change their orientation to parallel rather than perpendicular so that the edge of the leaves, rather than the surfaces, are facing the sun. It is thought that one reason the buds of the sunflower (and other flowers) track the sun is that insects are attracted to the warmth from the sun and their presence is necessary for pollination to occur. The warming from the sun is especially important for flowers in cold environments such as alpine and arctic regions. It is interesting to note that mature sunflowers that have been pollinated no longer track the sun. A study done on the snow, or Alpine, buttercup, which also exhibits floral heliotropism, suggests that sun tracking also increases pollen development and germination. You can learn more about heliotropism in an article "Sun Stalker—flowers and sun" by Candace Galen in Natural History, May 1999.

 

More General Botany Questions

Smarty Plants on spines
April 09, 2005 - What do you call part of a plant that is needle-like or has spikes or bristles?
view the full question and answer

Why is my 3 year old Redbud not flowering in San Marcos, TX?
March 24, 2010 - My Cercis canadensis var. mexicana, purchased at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, is 3 years old, very robust, but has never bloomed. Any explanation?
view the full question and answer

How many seeds in a Balsam Gourd fruit?
January 12, 2016 - How many seeds should I expect to find inside the fruit of Ibervillea Londoners?
view the full question and answer

Are Native Cultivars As Beneficial to Wildlife?
September 02, 2015 - I am working on adding more native plants to my small acreage. I would like to know if using a selection or cultivar of a native species is as likely to have wildlife benefits as using a randomly prop...
view the full question and answer

Alleotrophic effects of caffeine found in Ilex species
January 24, 2007 - I'm doing research for my biology class on the alleotrophic effects of caffeine. I'm planning to use Ilex vomitoria as the caffeine-producing plant. As the control I want to use another non-c...
view the full question and answer

Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today.