Silver Cockscomb Flower (Celosia Argentea) Profile: Plant Facts & Care Guide

Silver Cock's Comb (Celosia argentea 'Asian Garden), also called plumed cockscomb, is an annual herb that can grow to 1m tall. Silver Cock's Comb stem is erect, green or reddish-purple, longitudinally striated. Leaves are alternate, lanceolate or elliptic-lanceolate, 5 -- 9cm long, 1 -- 3cm wide. Spicate is terminal or axillary; Bracts, bracteoles, and perianth segments are dry membranous, reddish, later white, bracts 3; Perianth segments 5; Silver Cock's Comb has 5 stamens, filaments proximal connate cup-shaped; Ovary is superior, stigma 2-lobed. Utricle ovate, lid lobed. Seeds are oblate, orbicular, black, shiny.

Botanical/Scientific Names	Celosia argentea 'Asian Garden
Common Names	Silver Cock's Comb, plumed cockscomb
Plant Type	Annual, perennial
Bloom Time	Summer, fall
Flower Color	Reddish at first, then silvery-white, spikes solitary stem or branch apex, cylindrical or conical
Lighting Requirements	Full sun
Soil Care	rich, breathable sandy loam
Propagation	Usually propagation from seeds
Poisonous	Non-Toxic to pets

Silver Cock's Comb PictureSilver Cock's Comb is commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine. The main treatment is to clear the liver, improve the eyes and relieve the shadow. Silver Cock's Comb is used for liver heat eye red, visual objects dim, irascibility dizzy. Silver Cock's Comb is the same as Cassiae seed in curing wind-heat eye disease. It can cure the wind irritation in the body, the skin is hot, and it can disperse the wind heat in the blood vessels of the Yin channel." Modern clinical use can also be used for the treatment of hypertension and other diseases. But liver deficiency eye disease should not be used alone, pupil dilatation, glaucoma patients are forbidden to take.

Silver Cock's Comb Picture

Characteristics of Silver Cock's Comb

Silver Cock's Comb is an annual herb belonging to the genus Silver Cock's Comb in the Amaranthus family, 30-90 cm high. The whole plant is glabrous. The stem is erect, usually distally branched, green or reddish-purple, striate. Leaves are simple alternate; Petiole is 2 -- 15mm long, or sessile; Leaf blade is papery, lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, 5 -- 9 x 1 -- 3cm, apex acute or long, base attenuate and slightly decurrect, entirely. Flowers of Silver Cock's Comb are very dense, reddish at first, then silvery-white, spikes solitary stem or branch apex, cylindrical or conical, 3 -- 10cm long, bracts, bracteoles and perianth membranous, white bright; Silver Cock's Comb has 5 tepals, white or pink, lanceolate; Stamens 5, proximally connate cup-shaped, anthers purple. The utricle is ovoid elliptic, cap lobed, upper cap peeled off, apical with persistent style, wrapped in persistent perianth segments. It blooms from summer to fall.

Leaf-blade of Silver Cock's Comb is rectangular lanceolate, lanceolate or lanceolate, a few ovate-rectangular, 5 -- 8 cm long and 1 -- 3 cm wide; Green often reddish, acute or acuminate at the top, with a small awn tip, base tapering; Petiole 2-15 mm long, or petiole free.

Flowers of Silver Cock's Comb are numerous, dense, with single, unbranched towers or terete spikes on stem or branch tips, 3 -- 10 cm long; Bracts and bracteoles are lanceolate, 3 -- 4 mm long, white, shiny, apically acuminate, elongated into vermicelli, with a midvein, hump dorsal; Perianth segments of Silver Cock's Comb are oblong-lanceolate, 6-10 mm long, first white with reddish tip, or all pink, later white, apex acuminate, with 1 midvein, raised on abaxially; Filaments are 5 -- 6 mm long, separated parts ca. 2.5 -- 3 mm, anthers purple; Ovary is short, stipulate, style purple, 3 -- 5 mm long.

Utricles of Silver Cock's Comb are ovate, enclosed in persistent perianth segments; The cap is cracked, and the upper part is peeled off as a cap. Seeds kidney-shaped round, black, bright, visible under a magnifying glass rectangular network pattern, concentric circular arrangement.

The seed of Silver Cock's Comb is oblate round, a few are round kidney-shaped, a diameter of 1~1.8mm. The surface is black or reddish black, bright, slightly raised in the middle, and there is an umbilicus at the side. The surface can be seen under a magnifying glass reticulate texture, the seed is easy to stick to hand, the seed coat is thin and brittle. It is better to have full grain, dark color and bright. The surface of the seed is smooth, black and shiny, with a slightly concave umbilical point on the side, and the seed coat is thin and brittle, easily broken, and the inner surface is white. It smells like gas slightly, tastes slightly bitter. Prescription drugs for medical insurance drugs. The seeds are odorless and tasteless. The chemical composition contains fatty oil, starch, niacin, potassium nitrate.

Habits of Silver Cock's Comb

Silver Cock's Comb prefers warmth, heat, but not cold. The suitable temperature for growth is 25 to 30℃, and the temperature below 20℃ grows slowly and Withers in case of frost. Above 30℃, the product quality is poor. Silver Cock's Comb is a short-term plant, which is easy to flower under high-temperature sunshine in autumn. The soil requirement is not strict, but the absorption fertility is strong, with the organic matter is rich, the fertile loose soil yield is high, the quality is good.

Silver Cock's Comb is cold-resistant and drought-tolerant. It thrives on calcareous soils and rich sandy loam. Silver Cock's Comb can also grow in cohesive soils, but it grows slowly and is prone to root rot in low-lying, water-logged areas. Resistant to sulfur dioxide, hydrogen fluoride and chlorine.

Silver Cock's Comb does not require strict soil requirements and is best grown on fertile, well-drained sandy soil. Avoid water, low - lying areas should not be planted. It is born on plains or hillsides and can be as high as 1100 m above sea level. Weeds in dry fields.

How to Grow & Care for Silver Cock's Comb

Light Requirments

Full sun will encourage plentiful growth of Silver Cock's Comb. These plants can tolerate some shade, but shaded areas can harbor too much moisture and contribute to fungus or rot.  At least 8 hours of direct sunlight will keep these plants healthy.

Soil Care

Silver Cock's Comb is highly adaptable and will grow in any soil, but will do better in a rich, breathable sandy loam. Silver Cock's Comb has a strong fertility absorbent and is well resistant to cold and drought. It also thrives on limey and cohesive soils.

Temperature Care

Silver Cock's Comb is a plant that is very heat tolerant but not cold tolerant. Silver Cock's Comb can grow in a high temperature environment, the best temperature between 25 and 30℃, in the environment below 20℃ growth is relatively slow.

Watering & Fertilizer Care

Silver Cock's Comb is very resistant to pests and diseases, and the management of the field is mainly the management of water and fertilizer. When Silver Cock's Comb is harvested, make sure it receives enough water and fertilizer to ensure a good harvest. When Silver Cock's Comb was growing in its prime, it had to be watered a lot because the density of Silver Cock's Comb was very high. Especially when the temperature is high, it should be watered frequently to ensure that the soil is moist.When it rains, it must be drained in time to avoid root rot.

Repotting

Silver Cock's Comb should be repotted every 1-2 years. During the repotting process, some roots should be trimmed, disinfection measures should be taken, and new culture soil should be replaced at last. And every breeding for a period of time, it is necessary to loose the soil, so as to maintain the permeability of the basin soil, conducive to the growth of roots.

Pruning

When Silver Cock's Comb is growing, branches need to be pruned. Over-dense branches, long-long branches, delicate branches, dead branches of diseases and insects, and cross branches of old branches can be cut off one by one. In this way, excessive consumption of nutrients can be avoided, Silver Cock's Comb can be maintained in a ventilated and ventilated environment, and the branch division of the plant can be made more reasonable.

Read More: Celosia Plant (Cockscomb Flower) Grow & Care Guide

How to Propagate Silver Cock's Comb

Silver Cock's Comb seeds with long spikes, many branches and high yield should be selected for seed use. Silver Cock's Comb is easy to cross with Cockscomb, which significantly affects the yield. Therefore, the remaining seeds should be planted in isolation from Cockscomb to ensure pure breeding. The germination rate of seeds was 70% ~ 80%. The optimum temperature for germination was 25℃, and the germination rate was good within 20 ~ 30℃. Spring sowing 3 ~ April, open 1.3 m of the bed, drill, according to the row spacing of the 30cm open shallow ditch, the seeds evenly scattered in the ditch, covered with soil 0.5cm, slightly suppressed, watering. Seed amount per 1hm2 4.5 ~ 6.0kg. Acupoint sowing, according to the row spacing of about 25cm each hole, 5 ~ 6cm deep, make the hole shallow bottom flat, after the human and animal dung water, mix a small amount of fire ash, to make seed ash, evenly scattered in the hole, and then cover a layer of fire ash.The seed amount per 1hm2 is 3.75kg.

Read More: How to Propagate Cockscomb Flower (Celosia Plant)

Silver Cock's Comb Pests & Diseases

• Crowding, overwatering, overhead watering, and excessive humidity can cause Celosia to develop fungal diseases. Good care and the right kind of soil will go far toward preventing this. If Silver Cock's Comb does develop a fungal infection, cut off affected blooms and foliage and apply a commercial fungicide.
• Celosia kept as houseplants are especially susceptible to infestation by aphids and spider mites. These pests can usually be washed away with a strong stream of water.
• Outdoor Silver Cock's Comb is quite attractive to slugs and snails. If you notice their presence, applying a line of slug repellent around your Celosia bed will keep them out.

Silver Cock's Comb Distribution

Silver Cock's Comb is distributed in tropical Africa, Malaysia, Russia, India, Japan, Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam, the Philippines, Korea and all over the Chinese mainland. It grows at an altitude of 1,100 meters, and is generally born on hills, fields, plains and hillsides. Silver Cock's Comb can be found in most areas of China.

Silver Cock's Comb Uses

Silver Cock's Comb is characterized by slow growth, long life, resistance to pruning, soft dry and thick branches, round leaves and exposed roots, easy healing between branches, and easy modeling. It is a good material for making bonsai, and can also be used as cut flowers with long vase cultivation time.

The spikes of Silver Cock's Comb are pink and pale in color. The inflorescences are persistent and not marcescent, and are the plant material for vertical lines. At the same time, Silver Cock's Comb has strong adaptability. Generally, the land can be grown and maintained easily. It can be applied in garden flowers, ground cover or garden greening, with wild flavor and bright colors, creating a romantic landscape effect in the mountains. Silver Cock's Comb is also suitable for cut flowers because of its erect plant type and long ornamental period. At present, there are also a few used in potted flower production.

The young stems and leaves of Silver Cock's Comb are used as vegetables and fodder. The seeds contain about 15% oil, which is edible but has a smell. The seed fat oil is Silver Cock's Comb seed oil, which contains niacin and potassium nitrate. It tastes bitter and slightly cold. Silver Cock's Comb can also be used as feed.

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