Cosmos (plant)
| Cosmos | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Cosmos bipinnatus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Subfamily: | Asteroideae |
| Tribe: | Coreopsideae |
| Genus: | Cosmos Cav.[1] |
| Species | |
|
See text. | |
Cosmos is a genus, with the same common name of Cosmos, of about 20–26 species of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae.
Range
Cosmos is native to scrub and meadowland in Mexico where most of the species occur, Florida and the southern United States, Arizona, Central America, and to South America in the north to Paraguay in the south. It is also widespread over the high eastern plains of South Africa, where it was introduced via contaminated horsefeed imported from Mexico during the Boer War.
Description
Cosmos are herbaceous perennial plants growing 0.3–2 m (1 ft 0 in–6 ft 7 in) tall. The leaves are simple, pinnate, or bipinnate, and arranged in opposite pairs. The flowers are produced in a capitulum with a ring of broad ray florets and a center of disc florets; flower color is very variable between the different species. The genus includes several ornamental plants popular in gardens. Numerous hybrids and cultivars have been selected and named.
Selected species
- Cosmos atrosanguineus (Hook.) Voss – Chocolate Cosmos
- Cosmos bipinnatus Cav. – Garden Cosmos
- Cosmos caudatus Kunth – Ulam Raja
- Cosmos parviflorus (Jacq.) Pers. – Southwestern Cosmos
- Cosmos scabiosoides Kunth
- Cosmos sulphureus Cav. – Sulphur Cosmos[2][3]
References
- ↑ "Genus Cosmos Cav.". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 1998-09-07. Retrieved 2011-02-13.
- ↑ "GRIN Species Records of Cosmos". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2011-02-13.
- ↑ "Cosmos". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2011-02-13.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cosmos. |
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Wikispecies has information related to: Cosmos |