Van Gogh's most famous works – the Sunflowers series - show a mutant variant of sunflowers with bands of yellow 'double flowers', distinct from the usual single whorl of flattened florets normally found.

The double flowered versions favored by the artist more than 100 years ago have a smaller proportion of internal disc florets.

Now scientists from the University of Georgia have worked to understand the genetic reasons behind these mutations, using the techniques of Gregor Mendel, the forefather of genetics, to recreate the flowers.

By crossing the common wild variety of sunflower with the double-flowered variety they found that a single, dominant gene was responsible for creating the double-flowered mutation.

Subsequent crosses of the offspring revealed that a second mutation results in a third flower type containing the reproductive structures of the interior discs, reports PLoS Genetics.

They then identified the genes responsible and screened hundreds of sunflower varieties. The same mutated genes were present in plants with the van Gogh characteristics.

Dr John Burke said: ‘All of this evidence tells us that the mutation we've identified is the same one that van Gogh captured in the 1800s.

‘In addition to being of interest from a historical perspective, this finding gives us insight into the molecular basis of an economically important trait.

‘You often see ornamental varieties similar to the ones van Gogh painted growing in people's gardens or used for cut flowers, and there is a major market for them,’ Daily Mail reported.