Like a single sunbeam on a warm day, there is exuberance and brilliance in the sunflower. Its botanical name is Helianthus—helios (the sun) and anthos (flower).

Sunflowers are quick and easy to grow, needing only 90 to 100 days from planting to maturity. Their blossoms turn and follow the sun—a phenomenon called heliotropism.

“Beauty will save the world,” wrote Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

The Aztecs of Peru wrought sunflowers in pure gold for their temples. Peter the Great brought them to Russia in the 16th century as a valued source of food and oil. Hopi Indians carved wooden sunflowers and used them as sacred objects to warm the earth and call the rain.

Sunflower seeds, with 163 calories per ounce, are full of nutty sweetness. Rich in vitamin E—the most of any food—sunflower seeds are linked to lower risks of heart disease, certain cancers, cataracts, and more.

Vincent Van Gogh painted bold sunflowers as a symbol of gratitude—to his brother Theo for support, to Gauguin for friendship, and to the sun for light. “Yellow,” he said, “is capable of charming God.”