Sunflower a.k.a Helianthus in Greek tilts during the day to face the sun and turns back to the east in the morning. There is a tragic love story in ancient Greek mythology that explains this movement. The goddess of love, Aphrodite, had punished Helios, the all-seeing Sun, to be in love with Leucothoe although he was in relationship with her siste, Clytie. You see Helios had told Hephaestus, the Aphrodite’s husband, that she is cheating on him with Ares, the god of war. Helios disguised into Leucothoe’s mother to get entrance to her chambers and told her he is in love with her. Clytie felt betrayed and informed their father, Orchamus, who enraged ordered to bury her alive! However Helios ignored Clytie and never returned her love. Instead he transformed Leucothoe’s lifeless body into a plant. Clytie, after not eating or drinking anything for nine days finally transformed into a heliotrope leaning towards the sun everyday.

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