Cockscomb

Common name: Cockscomb



My SIL's home, where this flower was blooming, said they called it Velvet Flower, because of its soft texture.

Hundreds of tiny flowers are tightly clustered and form the flowerhead, and since it bears a resemblance to the rooster's comb, it has been commonly refered to as the Cockscomb.  Commonly found in red, yellow, orange, gold and pink.

These are favourite flowers for floral arrangements in Kerala, South India and also supposedly in Japan.  These are commonly found in dry arrangements as the flowers retain their colour even upon drying.

Botanical name: Celosia argentea var. cristata     Family: Amaranthaceae (Amaranth family)

Picture taken at Sainikpuri, Secunderabad.