Scientific
classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Cosmos
Species: C. sulphurous
Binomial
name : Cosmos sulphurous Cav.
Other
Names: Sulfur Cosmos and Yellow Cosmos
Special feature: It is
native to Mexico, Central America, and northern South America, and naturalized
in other parts of North and South America as well as in Europe, Asia, and Australia.
This
plant was declared invasive by the United States Southeast Exotic Pest Plant
Council in 1996. The flowers of all Cosmos attract birds and butterflies,
including the monarch butterfly.
This
species of Cosmos is considered a half-hardy annual, although plants may
re-appear via self-sowing for several years. Its foliage is opposite and
pinnately divided. The plant height varies from 1–7 feet (30–210 cm). The
original and its cultivars appear in shades of yellow, orange, and red.
Young
shoots are eaten raw or cooked in Indonesia under the name of lalab or gudang.
The
flowers are a dye, producing an orange-yellow dye, used in pre-Columbian
America and later in southern Africa to dye wool. In Thailand, they are
consumed in salads or herbal tea with the effect of inhibiting pancreatic
lipase.
According
to a Pakistani team (2017), in rats subjected to a high dose of paracetamol
extract of the plant has a hepatoprotective effect.
A
Ukrainian publication (2017) attributes to bread containing 10% dry extract of
Cosmos sulphureus a good note for its organoleptic qualities. (Source:
Wikipedia)
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