The illustration depicts the life cycle of a sunflower from seedling to maturity. Overall, there are six steps in this sequence, beginning with the sowing of seeds, followed by the emergence of the flower bud and concluding when the sunflower reaches full maturity.
The first three steps involve the appearance of the seedling. Initially, the seeds are sown and embedded deeply in the soil. The next stage begins when the seed splits open and breaks through the soil, allowing the seedling to emerge. Once the seedling appears, it absorbs nutrients by taking in carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen into the environment, which enables it to transform into a young plant. During the vegetative growth phase, the young plant increases in both size and height, with more branches elongating and leaves filling out, preparing for the next stage.
The remaining stages witness the young plant enters the flowering period. At the following stage, a bud forms at the top of the plant’s branch and gradually blooms until the sunflower fully unfolds, revealing larger petals and stamens. The process concludes with the sunflower plant reaching full maturity and releasing a scent to attract insects for pollination. The cycle is renewed only when the mature plant withers and returns nutrients to the soil, making way for new seeds to emerge.