Another Plant Tinder For Fire Making.

As I have said many times before, once you become familiar with what plant tinders look like & feel like, you can start to identify many more. Some such as the beaten inner bark of the Stringybark Tree are not so readily recognised, but still the same thought processes enabled me to see the possibilities.
The inner core of the Sunflower plant again is not so readily identified, just like the inner core of the Yacca Plant, it is hidden from view until the stem is cut open. Here in the images below you can see the soft white pithy core of the Sunflower stem. Treat this as you would punkwood, & char it to prepare it. This stem is still green so you can better see the core, but for tinder use use only the dried stems.
Not a native to Australia, but many of you may grow Sunflowers in your gardens, as we do for chook feed. The Sunflower is believed to have originated and was first domesticated in Mexico. The Sunflower is a member of the Jerusalem Artichoke, which is native to the Great Lakes area in the Americas. The stem pith of the Jerusalem Artichoke can also be used as tinder, but the stems are much smaller and thus yield far less tinder.

This is a dried Sunflower stem cut open.

Another type of Sunflower in our garden with multiple flower heads.

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Sunflowers drying in the sun in front of a stand of corn.

Jerusalem Artichokes in our garden. These are also prized as a food source. You will never starve if you are growing Jerusalem Artichokes. The dried stems make excellent kindling.