| abstract | - A flower native to Central America, the sunflower holds a powerful cultural image. Being a beautiful and colorful flower that needs lots of sunlight to be at its brightest, it symbolizes energy and happiness. An endless field of sunflowers is quite a breathtaking view to hold, and gives a heartwarming feeling. Sunflower seeds are also highly nutritious, and thus are attractive to small finch-type birds. The sunflower blossom was an emblem of the "aesthetic" movement of the 19th century; it came to symbolize connections between the sun, fire, and warmth -- both physical and metaphorical. It was a popular motif because its bold color and simple shape could be stylized, much like the chrysanthemum of Japanese art, which had a strong influence on the movement. In official sources, the sunflower has a meaning of adoration and constancy, since the sunflower always turns towards the sun throughout the day ; in common knowledge and fiction, people associated with sunflowers are more often than not seen as cheerful, energetic, and happy-go-lucky persons, that brightens up everybody and everything else around them. In a work of fiction that represent characters with a symbolic flower, the sunflower will very likely be attributed to the Genki Girl. Examples of Sunny Sunflower Disposition include:
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