What is the botanical family of the common sunflower?

The botanical family of the common sunflower is Asteraceae.

The common sunflower is Helianthus annuus, an annual flowering plant in the daisy family. Its large-looking “flower” is actually a composite flower head: many tiny disc florets form the center, while ray florets create the familiar outer petals.

Asteraceae is one of the largest plant families, also including daisies, asters, chrysanthemums, lettuce and artichokes. The family name comes from Aster, meaning “star,” referring to the star-like flower heads. Sunflowers are sometimes confused with members of Liliaceae because of their tall, ornamental appearance, but they are unrelated.

The species was domesticated in the Americas thousands of years ago. Today, Helianthus annuus is grown for edible seeds, bird food, livestock feed and sunflower oil; the name Helianthus combines Greek words for “sun” and “flower.”