Celosia argentea Seeds | Silver Cockscomb
LATIN NAME: Celosia argentea
COMMON NAME: Silver Cockscomb, Plumed Celosia
Plant Profile
Silver cockscomb is the wild, loose-flowered species from which the crested garden celosias were bred, and it is a better plant for insects than its descendants. Celosia argentea grows 30-100 cm tall on ridged stems, with soft, narrow leaves and terminal spikes of small flowers that open silver-pink and fade to a papery white.
It is a tropical annual, probably of Indian origin, and it has two quite separate lives. In gardens it is an ornamental for hot, dry positions; in West Africa and South Asia it is a leaf vegetable, grown for the young shoots and picked repeatedly through the wet season rather than left to flower.
Science & Biotechnology
The medicinal use is concentrated on the seed, which appears in the Chinese pharmacopoeia as qing xiang zi and is classified as a herb that clears liver heat and benefits the eyes. The chemistry behind that classification includes betalains, saponins and flavonoids, and the seed oil is unusually rich in linoleic acid.
The vegetable use has attracted more recent attention than the medicinal one. Nutritional analyses of the leaves across African accessions report high iron, calcium and vitamin A precursors, and the plant is one of the species promoted in programmes aimed at dietary diversity, because it grows fast, tolerates poor soil and can be cut repeatedly. Research on the genus has also looked at the genetics of the inflorescence, since the difference between a plume and a crest is a relatively simple developmental change and it has been selected independently several times.
Uses & Benefits
In the border silver cockscomb supplies vertical interest in late summer, when the plant is at its best in heat that flattens other annuals. The flowers dry well and keep their shape for months, which makes it useful for winter arrangements.
As a vegetable the young leaves and shoots are cooked like spinach, and the plant is cut and allowed to regrow, giving several harvests from one sowing. The seeds are threshed, cooked as a grain in some regions, and used medicinally. None of these uses requires a different plant, which is unusual and part of why the species persists in both farming and gardening.
Growing from Seed
Celosia needs warmth and light to germinate. Surface-sow onto a fine, moist mix, press the seed down and leave it uncovered at 22-25°C. Germination takes seven to fourteen days, and the seedlings are initially very small and slow.
Prick out when they can be handled and grow on warm and bright. Plant out only when nights are reliably above 12°C; cold sets them back badly. Space 25-30 cm apart in full sun. For leaf harvest, pinch out flower buds as they form; for ornament, leave the plants alone and water sparingly, since rich, wet conditions produce soft growth and fewer spikes.
Our Take
Grow it for late summer, when the border needs something that does not wilt. It is also one of the few ornamentals that can be eaten, which makes it a reasonable choice for a bed that has to work for its space.
Related Reading
Gardeners who grow Silver Cockscomb often pair it with these related subjects: