Celosia

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Celosia (lat. Celosia) - a genus of heat-loving plants from the Amaranth family, distinguished by an amazing variety of bright inflorescences. Sometimes the appearance of inflorescences of one species is so far from others that doubt arises as to their belonging to one genus of plants. However, botanists have more meticulous criteria for assigning plants to one or another community. Representatives of this genus are not only very decorative, but also edible, and also have healing powers.

What's in your name

The secret of the Latin name of the genus helps to discover the Greek word "keleos", which sounds in Russian as "burning". The genus owes this image to those species of its representatives, whose inflorescences, with their spike-shaped shape and bright colors, resemble a burning torch. Although a number of species show the world a completely different shape of inflorescences, similar to the bright combs of cocky roosters.

Description

Among the plants of the genus Celosia, you can find perennial and annual grasses, or shrubs. The straight stem gives rise to numerous side shoots, transforming the bush into a lush creation of nature.

Whole leaves in different species take on different shapes, from linear-lanceolate to ovate, or lanceolate-ovate. In the axils of the leaves, or at the ends of the stems, luxurious paniculate, comb or spike-shaped inflorescences, formed by bisexual small flowers and bright bracts, appear in the world.

The multi-seeded capsule ends the growing season.

Varieties

About five dozen plant species represent the genus Celosia on Earth. A number of them have won the hearts of gardeners with their decorativeness and today they decorate flower beds and rooms. Some species are used for food. Especially popular with florists is

Celosia silvery (Celosia argentea), which has three subspecies, differing from each other in the appearance of inflorescences:

1. Celosia silvery (lat. Celosia argentea f. Argentea) is a little-known leafy vegetable, unpretentious to living conditions (drought-resistant, grows on any soil). It tastes like spinach, but without the bitterness that Amaranth has. They are used raw, boiled, stewed. In Nigeria, it is one of the leading leafy vegetables known under the name "Soko Yokoto", which translates as: "to make husbands full and happy." Has decorative inflorescences from silvery pink to purple.

2. Celosia silvery pinnate (lat. Celosia argentea f. Plumose) is an ornamental branchy herb, the inflorescences of which can be easily confused with the inflorescences of Amaranth. The height of the plant is often up to 40 cm, but in very favorable conditions, some varieties tend to the meter mark. Bright inflorescences - panicles throughout the summer period rise above large green ovoid or lanceolate leaves, shimmering with all kinds of colors.

3. Celosia silvery comb (lat. Celosia argentea f. Cristata) - this species cannot be confused with Amaranth, because its delightful, yellow or red inflorescences - scallops are unique. Although they love to associate with the scallops of cocky roosters, the latter still grow and grow before such charm.

Growing

A heat-loving plant in our frosty lands is grown by sowing seeds for seedlings in the last month of winter. Only with the onset of stable heat are they moved to open ground, choosing the most illuminated places, but not in direct sunlight.

The soil for a tropical plant is fertile, rich in humus, loose, not creating stagnation of water, which is detrimental to a drought-resistant plant. Watering is carried out only with prolonged drought, but to maintain moisture, foliage is regularly sprayed, protecting bright inflorescences from moisture.

Enemies

Although in general plants of this genus are quite resistant to pests, they can be affected by the invasion of omnivorous aphids; with damp soil, fungi do not sleep, provoking rotting of the roots and stem; overcomes chlorosis with a lack of iron in the soil, which is easily eliminated with the necessary mineral dressings.