But the sunflowers are not real!

As we know, the sunflower—a decorative flower known as the heliant from Peru—has transformed into a completely different plant after being cultivated by farmers and scientists. The heliant might still be just a beautiful addition to flower beds today if it hadn’t come into the hands of resourceful Russian farmers. When American farmers needed sunflowers for planting at the end of the last century, they had to request them from Russia.

Thus, the sunny flower returned to its homeland, looking nothing like its ancestors. The varieties developed by Soviet academician Pustovoit are just as different from their relatives as those relatives are from their Peruvian forebears. Through selective breeding, Academician Pustovoit altered 30 characteristics of the sunflower. As a result, not only was the oil content of the seeds doubled, but the shape of the seeds, the color of the husk, the density, and the angle of the flower head also changed.

It’s hard to find another breeder in the world who has achieved such remarkable results.