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Do sunflowers really follow the Sun?
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Sunny side up
Partially open sunflower head against a blue sky.
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Sunny side up
Sunny side up A field of mature sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) oriented toward the east.

Do sunflowers really follow the Sun?

Written by
Melissa Petruzzello
Melissa Petruzzello (she/her) is Assistant Managing Editor and covers plants, algae, fungi, insects, spiders, renewable energy and environmental engineering. She also handles certain topics in Christianity,...
Melissa Petruzzello
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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ā€¢History

Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) are so named not just for their sunny flower heads. Young sunflowers exhibit heliotropism, meaning that they track the Sunā€™s movement across the sky. At dawn the plants face east. During the day their stems gradually bend so that their leaves and developing flower buds follow the Sun westward. Overnight, they turn back toward the east, ready for sunrise. This daily movement is driven partly by the sunflowerā€™s internal circadian clock, which...

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