The Common Sunflower has a long history of association with people．Nearly 3，000years ago it was domesticated for food production by the Native Americans．The seeds of the wild type of sunflower are only about 5mm．long．It was only through careful selection for the largest size seeds over hundreds of years that the cultivated（栽植的）sunflower was produced．Lewis and Clark made mention in their journals of its usage by the plains Indians．It was brought back to the Old World by the early European explorers and widely cultivated there also．Today it is a common alternative crop in the Great Plains and elsewhere for food and oil production．Next time you munch down on some sunflower seeds，thank the many generations of Native Americans whose careful husbandry（管理）gave us this valuable food item．
The wild cousins of those grown on the farm are still common，however，in fields，roadsides and disturbed ground throughout the Great Plains．
The Common Sunflower is a typical member of the Asteraceae，one of the largest and most successful families of plants．Within the structure we think of as the “flower”，it actually has two different types of flowers －ray and disk flowers．
The ray flowers have the big，straplike structures that we see around the edge of the “flower”while the disk flowers occupy the middle of it．Within the Asteraceae，many confusing combinations of the two are possible along with the total absence of one or the other in some species！Individual ray or disk flowers may be male，female or both and either fertile or infertile（do or don’t produce seeds）．In sunflowers，the ray flowers are usually female and infertile（不结果实的）．The disk flowers are both male and female and are fertile．
The rough－hairy quality of the Common Sunflower is characteristic of many members of its family．These little bristles probably serve two functions：to discourage plant－eating animals and to conserve water in the plant by limiting evaporation［蒸发（作用）］．
Members of the sunflower family are popular with butterflies because the wide flower head makes a good “landing platform”and the numerous individual flowers make for a high probability of finding nectar（甘露）．Monarch butterflies are commonly seen nectaring on sunflowers during their fall migration．
Whether as a source of food for people and wildlife or an eye－catching splash of color on the landscape，the Common Sunflower is an important member of the prairie community（高草原群落）．
Flowering Season：Summer
Light Requirements：Sun
Flower Color：Gold，red－brown，yellow
Height：12to 108inches
Spacing：12to 24inches
Comments：Moderate to high drought tolerance
Cultivars：Full Sun Single
State Flag州旗
1927年3月21日，堪萨斯州立法机关指定第一个州旗。此旗由蓝底和处于中心位置的州徽组成。在州徽的顶部是州花。此旗基本上和那时一样，只是在1961年根据立法制定，在州徽的下方又加上了“Kansas”的字样。而州徽上的每一个实物都代表着各自的含义。州徽上的升起的太阳代表着东方，河流和轮船代表着商业。小屋和正在耕地的人代表着农业。还有34颗星星，代表堪萨斯州是美国第34州。
On March 21，1927，the state legislature enacted a proposal specifying the first official Kansas state flag．The flag comprised a blue field with the state seal in the center，topped by the state crest（顶部）incorporating a sunflower design．The state flag has remained basically the same since that time，with the addition by legislation in 1961of the word “Kansas”below the seal．
The flag was first displayed in 1927at Fort Riley by Governor Ben Paulen in the presence of troops from Fort Riley and the Kansas National Guard．
The Kansas flag consists of a dark blue field with the state seal in the center．A sunflower on a bar of twisted（螺旋状）gold lies above the seal，and below the seal is the word “Kansas”．The seal contains a landscape that includes a rising sun，representing the east；and a river and steamboat，representing commerce．In the foreground，a settler’s cabin and a man plowing a field represent agriculture．A wagon train（［美史］马车队）heads west and buffalo（〈美〉［动］美洲野牛）are seen fleeing from two Indians．Around the top of the seal is a cluster（群）of 34stars．The state motto appears above the stars．
State Song州歌
Home on the Range
Oh，give me a home where the Buffalo roam
Where the Deer and the Antelope（羚羊）play；
Where never is heard a discouraging word，
And the sky is not clouded all day．
CHORUS
A home！A home！
Where the Deer and the Antelope play，
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word，
And the sky is not clouded all day．
Oh！give me a land where the bright diamond sand
Throws its light from the glittering streams，
Where glideth along the graceful white swan，
Like the maid in her heavenly dreams．
Oh！give me a gale of the Solomon vale，
Where the life streams with buoyancy（轻快）flow；
On the banks of the Beaver，where seldom if ever，
Any poisonous herbage（草）doth grow．
How often at night，when the heavens were bright，
With the light of the twinkling stars（闪烁星）
Have I stood here amazed，and asked as I gazed，
If their glory exceed that of ours．
I love the wild flowers in this bright land of ours，
I love the wild curlew’s shrill（尖声的）scream；
The bluffs and white rocks，and antelope flocks
That graze on the mountains so green．
The air is so pure and the breezes so fine，
The zephyrs（和风，徐风）so balmy（温和的）and light，
That I would not exchange my home here to range
Forever in azures（苍天，碧空）so bright．
William and Mary Goodwin（1904）
Oh，give me a home where the buffalo roam，
Where the deer and the antelope play；
There seldom is heard a discouraging word
And the sky is not cloudy all day．
CHORUS A home，a home
Where the deer and the antelope play，
There seldom is heard a discouraging word
And the sky is not cloudy all day．
Yes，give me the gleam（一丝光线）of the
swift mountain stream
And the place where no hurricane blows；
Oh，give me the park where the prairie dogs bark
And the mountain all covered with snow．
Oh，give me the hills and the ring of the drills
And the rich silver ore in the ground；
Yes，give me the gulch（冲沟（尤指产金地的急流峡谷））
where the miner can sluice（流出）
And the bright，yellow gold can be found．
Oh，
give me the mine where the prospectors（探勘者，采矿者）find
The gold in its own native land；
And the hot springs below where the sick people go
And camp on the banks of the Grande．
Oh，give me the steed（战马）and the gun that I need
To shoot game for my own cabin home；
Then give me the camp where the fire is the lamp
And the wild Rocky Mountains to roam．