A to Z Flowers
NAME: Celosia argentea
FAMILY: Amaranthaceae
COMMON NAMES: Cockscomb
LOCAL NAMES: Soko-yokoto, Erimonu, Fara -alayatu
MORPHORLOGICAL DESCRIPTION:
Celosia argentea is a herbaceous plant of tropical origin, and is a tender annual plant that is often grown in gardens.
USEFUL PART(s): Leaves, seeds
GENERAL USES:
Leaves are cooked as vegetables.
It is used in making soaps.
Oil extracted from seeds are used for cooking.
GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION:
India, China, New Guinea, western tropical Africa.
WHY IS IT GREEN?
Skin diseases
Diarrhoea
Antiscorbutic
Anthelmintic
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
Can serve as an ornamental plant.
FUN FACT
The flavour very mild and spinach-like with no hint of bitterness.
FURTHER READINGS
Bakar, D. A., Ahmed, B. A., & Taha, R. M. (2014). In vitro callus induction and plant regeneration of Celosia argentea- an important medicinal plant. Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1516-8913201402611
Madhupriya, Yadav, A., Thorat, V., & Rao, G. P. (2017). Molecular detection of 16SrI-B and 16SrII-D subgroups of phytoplasma associated with flat stem and witches’ broom disease of Celosia argentea L. 3 Biotech. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13205-017-0962-8
Saritha, P., & Sreeramulu, a. (2013). Allelopathic effects of celosia argentea L. root extracts on crop plant seed germination. International Journal of Life Sciences Biotechnology and Pharma Research.
Tang, Y., Xin, H. L., & Guo, M. L. (2016). Review on research of the phytochemistry and pharmacological activities of Celosia argentea. In Brazilian Journal of Pharmacognosy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bjp.2016.06.001