History Behind “Sunflower State” - The Mentor

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History behind “Sunflower State”

Graphic by Anika Nyp

History behind “Sunflower State”

Riley Williamson, Staff Writer

A common nickname that is frequently used in the midwest is the “Sunflower State,” referring to Kansas. According to Proflowers.com, the state flower was seen as a symbol and a remembrance to the frontier days in the Kansas legislature, and lawmakers soon fell in love with the idea of it representing the state.

The sunflower did not become the official flower of Kansas until 1903, thanks to George Morehouse. Morehouse was inspired by Kansans wearing sunflowers to identify themselves as being from the state.

This wild flower is native to the state of Kansas and grows in abundance during their season in June to August. The peak bloom for the flower is the middle of summer.

A popular time during the peak bloom period for many Midwesterners is to take pictures in front of sunflowers, either wild or commercially grown. For example, it is trendy for high school students who live in Kansas to take their senior pictures in front of the native flower.

But the sunflower has other uses besides looking artsy in photos. For over 3,000 years it has been used as food by American Indians and is still used as food today. Sunflower oil is a common cooking oil and the seeds are used in salads, breads and as a snack food.

Not too long ago, recent developments have used sunflower oil as an alternative to biodiesel fuel. This is a great achievement toward the image of the flower.

Overall the sunflower represents the state of Kansas with great pride.

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