Helianthus or sunflowers (from the Greek: ήλιος, Hēlios, "sun" and ανθός, anthos, "flower") L. /ˌhiːliˈænθəs/ is a genus of plants comprising about 70 species in the family Asteraceae. Except for three species in South America, all Helianthus species are native to North America. The common name, "sunflower," also applies to the popular annual species Helianthus annuus, the common sunflower. This and other species, notably Jerusalem artichoke (H. tuberosus), are cultivated in temperate regions as food crops and ornamental plants.
The genus is one of many in the Asteraceae that are known as sunflowers. It is distinguished technically by the fact that the ray flowers, when present, are sterile, and by the presence on the disk flowers of a pappus that is of two awn-like scales that are caducous (that is, easily detached and falling at maturity). Some species also have additional shorter scales in the pappus, and there is one species that lacks a pappus entirely. Another technical feature that distinguishes the genus more reliably, but requires a microscope to see, is the presence of a prominent, multicellular appendage at the apex of the style. Sunflowers are especially well known for their symmetry based on Fibonacci numbers and the Golden angle.
Mark Anderson may refer to:
Rear Admiral Mark Anderson CB is a former Royal Navy officer who served as Commander Operations and Rear Admiral, Submarines.
Educated at the University of Manchester, Anderson joined the Royal Navy in 1974 and was appointed commanding officer of the submarine HMS Talent in 1993. He became Military Assistant to the Chief of Defence Logistics in May 2000, Commanding Officer of the frigate HMS Marlborough as well as Captain of the 4th Frigate Squadron in August 2002 and Director Equipment Capability (Underwater Effects) in March 2003 before moving on to become the Chief of the Defence Staff's Liaison Officer to the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee in July 2007 and Commander Operations and Rear Admiral, Submarines in January 2009. He retired from the Royal Navy in March 2011.
In retirement he became Strategy Director of Sonar & Undersea Systems and then Group Marketing Director at Ultra Electronics.
Mark Anderson (born 16 November 1991) is a male Belizean sprinter. He competed in the Men's 100 metres event at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics in Beijing, China.