Prehistoric sunflower (Helianthus Annuus L.) domestication in Mexico

• DOI: 10.1007/bf02866560
• Publication Date: 2010-12-04T02:19:04Z
• Authors: David L. Lentz; Mary E. D. Pohl; Kevin O. Pope; Andrew R. Wyatt
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; 03 medical and health sciences

Early remains of Helianthus annuus L. unearthed at the San Andres site in the Gulf Coast region of Tabasco, Mexico, constitute the earliest record of domesticated sunflower. Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) age determinations of a large domesticated seed and achene produced dates of 4130 ± 40 years before the present (B.P.) and 4085 ± 50 B.P., respectively. These discoveries challenge the longstanding hypothesis that sunflower was domesticated in eastern North America. Moreover, when considered with other recent discoveries on plant domestication, these data suggest a reconsideration of the idea that the eastern United States was an independent hearth for domestication.