Silver cock's comb
| Silver cock's comb |
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| Scientific Classification |
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| Binomial Name |
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C. argentea |
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| Image Description |
The Silver cock's comb is a flowering plant known by the scientific name Celosia argentea. It that blooms in the summer and lasts until early fall with flowers that are red, pink, orange, or yellow. The plant grows twelve to thirty-six inches tall and can be grown indoors or outdoors. The standard of area that it consumes is six stalks per square foot. The plant can succeed with partial sun all the way to full sun all day. The plant needs an area that drains well and that it has lots of nutrients in the soil it's planted in.
Body Design
The celosia argentea is a vertical flower that measures six inches to thirty-six inches. The spacing between each flower on the plant is between 6 inches and twelve inches. It is an annual (lives for only one season)[2] and its flowers are shades of red, yellow, and orange. "Stem and branches strongly ridged and often sulcate, quite glabrous. Leaves lanceolate-oblong to narrowly linear, acute to obtuse, shortly mucronate with the excurrent midrib, glabrous; lamina of the leaves from the centre of the main stem 2-15 x 0.1-3.2 cm, tapering below into an indistinctly demarcated, slender petiole; upper and branch leaves smaller, markedly reducing; leaf axils often with small-leaved sterile shoots. Inflorescence a dense (rarely laxer below), many-flowered spike, 2.5-20 x 1.5-2.2 cm, silvery to pink, conical at first but becoming cylindrical in full flower, terminal on the stem and branches, on a long, sulcate peduncle up to c. 20 cm long, which often lengthens during flowering. Bracts and bracteoles lanceolate or the lower deltoid, 3-5 mm, hyaline, more or less aristate with the excurrent midrib, persistent after the fall of the flower. Perianth segments 6-10 mm, narrowly elliptic-oblong, acute to rather blunt, shortly mucronate with the excurrent midrib, with 2-4 lateral nerves ascending more than halfway up each segment, margins widely hyaline. Filaments very delicate, free part sub-equalling or exceeding the staminal sheath, sinuses rounded with no or very minute intermediate teeth; anthers and filaments creamy to magenta. Stigmas 2-3, very short, the filiform style 5-7 mm long; ovary 4-8-ovulate. Capsule 3-4 mm, ovoid to almost globular." [3]
Life Cycle
This plant has green leaves on it with flowers that emerge in summer and stay until fall.[4] This plant needs partial sun to even full sun to flourish. It has an average growth rate. This plant may be grown indoors or outdoors.
Ecology
Commonly cultivated. In Fiji, "infrequently naturalized at low elevations and near streams" (Smith, 1981; p. 284). In Papua New Guinea, "a plant of roadsides, particularly where disturbance has been recent, and on building sites, earthworks, quarries, river-beds; also a weed in annual crops and sometimes in heavily-grazed pasture" (Henty & Pritchard, 1975; p. 56); "often occurring as a weed in dry open places such as roadsides and waste lands, as well as stream beds, from sea level to 1200 (-1800) m altitude" (Womersley, 1978; p. 30). [5]
Uses
The celosia plants can be used for medical purposes to treat intestinal worms such as tapeworms. The seeds can be used to treat chest pains while the flower can be used to treat diarrhea. And lastly the leaves are used as boil and wound dressings. The celosia argentea can also be used as food. Celosia argentea var. argentea or Lagos spinach (a.k.a. quail grass, Soko, Celosia, feather cockscomb) is a broadleaf annual leaf vegetable. It grows widespread across Mexico, where it is known as "Velvet flower", 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 the 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".[6] In Spain it is known as "Rooster comb" because of its appearance. As a grain, Cockscomb is a pseudo-cereal, not a true cereal. These leaves, young stems and young inflorescences are used for stew, as they soften up readily in cooking. The leaves also have a soft texture and has a mild spinach-like taste. They are also pepped up with such things as hot pepper, garlic, fresh lime, and red palm oil and eaten as a side dish. [7]
Video
This is a slideshow of multiple pictures of Celosia argentea.
References
- Celosia argentea L. silver cock's comb. United States Department of Agriculture. Web. Accessed 5/22/2012. Author Unknown.
- Evans, Erv. Celosia argentea var. plumosa. NC State University . Web. Accessed 5/9/2012 .
- Celosia argentea . Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER) . Web. 6/21/2010. Author Unknown.
- Guide to growing garden plants - Celosia (Cockscomb). Plant Biology. Web. Accessed 5/22/2012. Author Unknown.
- Celosia. Wikipedia. Web. date-of-publication 1/20/2012. Author Unknown.
