Do Sunflowers Face One Another To Exchange Energy?

Sunflowers, a popular plant in the U.S., rely on each other for physiological functions such as ensuring minimal nutrient competition and organizing in a row to maximize photosynthesis. However, only young sunflowers follow daytime sunlight, and as their flower heads mature and their growth slows, their movement decreases and they stay facing east toward the morning sun. This process, called heliotropism, is essential for photosynthesis, which turns solar energy into plant energy.

A study published in Science found that sunflowers grown in dense rows naturally formed a near-perfect zigzag pattern, with each plant leaning away from the sun. Sunflowers pivot to face the sun during the day and rotate 180 degrees at night to greet the morning sun. Researchers from UC Davis and UC Berkeley have found that sunflowers do not turn towards each other when there is no sunshine or light to turn to. Once the sunflower matures, it stops following the sun and is content to soak up the rays as they fall.

The sentiment shared is that when there is no sunshine or light to turn to, the sunflowers turn to each other to share their energy/light. Sunflowers do not turn toward each other on cloudy days. Instead, they face the direction of the sun regardless. Sunflowers turn according to the position of the sun, in other words, they “chase the light”.

In conclusion, sunflowers rely on each other for physiological functions such as ensuring minimal nutrient competition and organizing in a row to maximize photosynthesis. However, they cannot share energy with each other in place of the sun, as there is no substitute for sunlight for photosynthesis. The study suggests that circadian rhythms can explain the young plant’s sun-tracking, or heliotropism, and how they adapt to their environment.