''Cosmos'' is a
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
, with the same common name of cosmos, consisting of
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...
s in the
daisy family.
Name
The generic name ''Cosmos'' derives either from the Greek κόσμος (cosmos) '(ordered) world' -in reference to the neat, orderly arrangement of the floral structures - or the Greek κόσμημα (kósmima) 'jewel' - in reference to the jewel-like colors of the
capitula (composite flowers).
Description
''Cosmos'' are
herbaceous
Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials.
Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous"
The fourth edition of ...
perennial plant
In horticulture, the term perennial (''wikt:per-#Prefix, per-'' + ''wikt:-ennial#Suffix, -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annual plant, annuals and biennial plant, biennials. It has thus been d ...
s or
annual plant
An annual plant is a plant that completes its life cycle, from germination to the production of seeds, within one growing season, and then dies. Globally, 6% of all plant species and 15% of herbaceous plants (excluding trees and shrubs) are ...
s growing tall. The
leaves
A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...
are simple,
pinnate
Pinnation (also called pennation) is the arrangement of feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis. Pinnation occurs in biological morphology, in crystals, such as some forms of ice or metal crystals, and ...
, or bipinnate, and arranged in opposite pairs. The
flower
Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...
s are produced in a
capitulum
capitulum (plural capitula) may refer to:
*the Latin word for chapter
** an index or list of chapters at the head of a gospel manuscript
** a short reading in the Liturgy of the Hours
*** derived from which, it is the Latin for the assembly known ...
with a ring of broad ray florets and a center of disc florets; flower color varies noticeably between the different species. The genus includes several
ornamental plant
Ornamental plants or ''garden plants'' are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars th ...
s popular in gardens. Numerous
hybrids and
cultivar
A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...
s have been selected and named.
Distribution
''Cosmos'' species are
native
Native may refer to:
People
* '' Jus sanguinis'', nationality by blood
* '' Jus soli'', nationality by location of birth
* Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory
** Nat ...
to scrub and meadowland in the Americas, from
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
and
Missouri
Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...
in the United States, extending south through
Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
(where highest species diversity occurs, with 33 of the 35 species) and
Central America
Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...
to
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...
as far south as northern
Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
.
Species
Accepted species:
35 species are accepted by Kew's ''
Plants of the World Online
Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online taxonomic database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
History
Following the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew launched Plants of the World Online i ...
'',
with two more listed by the Compositae Working Group.
* ''
Cosmos atrosanguineus''
(Hook.) Voss
* ''
Cosmos bipinnatus''
Cav.
* ''
Cosmos carvifolius''
Benth.
* ''
Cosmos caudatus''
Kunth
* ''
Cosmos concolor''
Sherff
* ''
Cosmos crithmifolius''
Kunth
* ''
Cosmos deficiens''
(Sherff) Melchert
* ''
Cosmos diversifolius''
Otto ex Knowles & Westc.
* ''
Cosmos herzogii''
Sherff (treated by POWO as ''Bidens herzogii''
(Sherff) D.J.N.Hind)
* ''
Cosmos intercedens''
Sherff
* ''
Cosmos jaliscensis''
Sherff
* ''
Cosmos juxtlahuacensis''
Panero & Villaseñor
* ''
Cosmos landii''
Sherff
* ''
Cosmos linearifolius''
(Sch.Bip.) Hemsl.
* ''
Cosmos longipetiolatus''
Melchert
* ''
Cosmos mattfeldii''
Sherff
* ''
Cosmos mcvaughii''
Sherff
* ''
Cosmos microcephalus''
Sherff (unplaced by POWO)
* ''
Cosmos modestus''
Sherff
* ''
Cosmos montanus''
Sherff
* ''
Cosmos nelsonii''
B.L.Rob. & Fernald
* ''
Cosmos nitidus''
Paray
* ''
Cosmos ochroleucoflorus''
Melchert
* ''
Cosmos pacificus''
Melchert
* ''
Cosmos palmeri''
B.L.Rob.
* ''
Cosmos parviflorus''
(Jacq.) Pers.
* ''
Cosmos peucedanifolius''
Wedd.
* ''
Cosmos pringlei''
B.L.Rob. & Fernald
* ''
Cosmos pseudoperfoliatus''
Art.Castro, Harker & Aarón Rodr.
* ''
Cosmos purpureus''
(DC.) Benth. & Hook.f. ex Hemsl.
* ''
Cosmos ramirezianus''
Art.Castro, Harker & Aarón Rodr.
* ''
Cosmos scabiosoides''
Kunth
* ''
Cosmos schaffneri''
Sherff
* ''
Cosmos sessilis''
Sherff
* ''
Cosmos sherffii''
Melchert
* ''
Cosmos steenisiae''
Veldkamp
* ''
Cosmos sulphureus''
Cav.
Naturalization
One species, ''
C. bipinnatus'', is naturalized across much of the eastern United States and eastern Canada. The genus is also widespread over the high eastern plains of
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
, where it was introduced via contaminated horsefeed during the
Anglo-Boer War
The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic an ...
.
Gallery
File:Cosmos scabiosoides.jpg, ''Cosmos scabiosoides'' in Puebla, Mexico
File:Cosmos sulphureus - flower view 01.jpg, '' C. sulphureus''
File:Cosmos parviflorus.jpg, ''Cosmos parviflorus'' in Colorado
File:Cosmos yellow orange.JPG, Kerala, alt=Yellow-orange, Kerala, India
File:Gokayama Suganuma 五箇山菅沼地区 PA101521.jpg, Old house in Japan
File:CosmosDSC 0005.JPG, Korea
Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...
File:Cosmos-atrosanguineus.jpg, '' Cosmos atrosanguineus'', the chocolate cosmos
References
External links
*
Germplasm Resources Information Network: ''Cosmos''Flora of Bolivia: ''Cosmos'' checklist
{{Authority control
Asteraceae genera
Butterfly food plants
Taxa named by Antonio José Cavanilles