Fara -alayatu

Celosia argentea

A to Z Flowers

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