| Referring to the information currently available, it is believed that sunflower (Helianthus annuus) is native to North America; the first traces date back to the year 3,000B.C. and numerous archaeologists believe that the sunflower was used as a domesticated crop even before corn. Planted by indigenous tribes in areas that today are Arizona and Mexico, the sunflower was used as a nutritional source. The plant was brought to Spain by conquistadors in the 16th century and distributed throughout Europe, reaching popularity in the 18th century; it experienced an explosion in Eastern Europe when Orthodox Monks prohibited the consumption of the majority of fats and oils used in Eastern Europe but not that of the sunflower. | | |