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Cheryl Isaak · 16-09-2010, 01:12 PM posted to rec.gardens

On 9/16/10 6:52 AM, in article
, "Pat Kiewicz"
wrote:

David Hare-Scott said:

Higgs Boson wrote:
Here's an interesting article about origin of many seeds we grow in
So. Calif:
=============

Wildflowers of Israel

by Leslie Berliant, Contributing Writer

Lupinus Mountain Blue. Below: Ammi Visnaga. Photos courtesy
SeedCount

Enter any Trader Joe’s grocery store in Southern California and you
are likely to find vibrant sunflowers with golden orange leaves and a
dark center among the bouquets and potted plants. What many
customers
might not realize is that the sunflower being sold is called Jerusalem
Gold, which is grown in Santa Barbara from a seed native to Israel.

Is it native to Israel? I mean in the sense that its first know cultivation
was in Israel from wild stock. I don't know.

Actually, I'm fairly certain that sunflowers were North American natives,
originally.

The early settlers in Israel sent a lot of effort hybridizing many plants
(fruits, vegetables, trees and flowers) to the semi-arid desert.

C