Profile of a sunflower (Helianthus annuus). What is usually called the flower is actually a head of many small flowers crowded together. The outer florets are referred to as sterile ray florets, and the florets inside the circular head are called disc florets. The disc florets mature into what are traditionally called "sunflower seeds," but are actually the fruit of the plant. The inedible husk acts as the wall of the fruit, and the true seed lies within the kernel.