celosia

[New Latin Cēlosia, genus name, from Greek kēlos, dry, burnt (from its color), from kaiein, to burn.]

Sell-o'si-a. A large genus of tropical herbs or shrubs, grown for their often fantastic or grotesque flower clusters. Native to warm areas of U.S. and Africa.

Description
Leaves alternate, lobed, or simple. Flowers minute and chaffy, crowded into dense spikes that are much enlarged, flattened, crested, or otherwise modified, and often brilliantly colored.

How to Grow
Sow seeds in early summer in garden soil enriched with organic matter. Indoors start in peat pots to minimize transplant shock. Celosias in full flower may refuse to develop and wither away when transplanted. They prefer warm weather.

Celosia cristata
Plumed Celosia ; Crested Celosia ; Cockscomb . 1-2 ft. (30-60 cm) high. Flower clusters very diverse in size, shape, and color. One common type has a crested or rolled cluster, 6-12 in. (15-30 cm) wide, much like a cockscomb; or congested and monstrous. Another popular type is open and feathery, 6-12 in. (15-30 cm) high. Some others are very broad and fanlike and others spirelike. A good dried flower. Sometimes sold as C. plumosa . Tender annual.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: annual or perennial herbs or vines of tropical and subtropical America and Asia and Africa
  Synonym: genus Celosia

Cockscomb
Celosia spicata
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Caryophyllales Family: Amaranthaceae Subfamily: Amaranthoideae Genus: Celosia
Species
Celosia argentea Celosia cristata Celosia nitida Celosia palmeri Celosia plumosa Celosia trigyna Celosia virgata

Celosia (pronounced /siːˈloʊʃiə/)^[1] is a small genus of edible and ornamental plants, similar in appearance and uses to the amaranths. They are sometimes called cockscombs or woolflowers for their brightly colored, woolly flower heads which resemble cockscombs. The name "cockscomb" may be restricted to those whose flower heads are crested by fasciation.

Contents 1 As a food 2 As a garden plant 3 Images 4 References

As a food

Celosia argentea var. argentea or Lagos spinach (a.k.a. quail grass, Soko, Celosia, feather cockscomb) is a broadleaf annual leaf vegetable belonging to the Amaranth family (Amaranthaceae). It grows widespread across northern South America, tropical Africa, the West Indies, South, East and Southeast Asia where it is grown as a native or naturalized wildflower, and is cultivated as a nutritious leafy green vegetable. It is traditional fare in countries of Central and West Africa, and is one of the leading leafy green vegetables in Nigeria, where it is known as ‘soko yokoto’, meaning ‘make husbands fat and happy.’^[2]

As a grain, Cockscomb is a pseudocereal, not a true cereal.

As a garden plant

Seed production in these species can be very high, 200-700 kg per hectare. One ounce of seed may contain up to 43,005 seeds. One thousand seeds can weigh 1.0-1.2 grams. Depending upon the location and fertility of the soil, blossoms can last 8-10 weeks.

Celosia cristata is a common garden ornamental plant in China and other places.

Images

Celosia cristata. Common name Yellow Toreador.

Red cockscomb

A close view of red cockscombs

Silver cockscomb Celosia argentea

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Celosia

1. ^ Sunset Western Garden Book, 1995:606–607
2. ^ See further information at ECHO [1]

• Uses and Growth of Celosia spp.
• Virtual Flowers Celosia Information

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