What kind of herbaceous plant is cockscomb?

Alternative names of cockscomb

Cockscomb, a herbaceous plant, has the following Chinese alternative names: jijihua, laolaihong, luhua jiguan, bi jiguan, xiaotou jiguan, fengwei jiguan, da jigonghua, jijiaogen, hong jiguan.

Distribution of cockscomb

Cockscomb is native to Africa, tropical America and India, and is widely cultivated around the world. It is an annual herbaceous plant.

In China it is mainly distributed in Anhui, Beijing, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hong Kong, China, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin, Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, China, Xinjiang, Tibet, Yunnan, Zhejiang.

Growth habits of cockscomb

Cockscomb prefers a warm and dry climate, is afraid of drought, likes sunlight, is not tolerant of waterlogging, and has no strict requirements for soil. It is a new way to develop courtyard economy at present.

Morphological characteristics of cockscomb

Cockscomb is an erect herbaceous plant, about 30-80 cm tall, with the entire plant hairless and robust.

The upper part of the plant is flattened, green or with red, with raised ribs, simple leaves alternate, with petioles, leaf blades 5-13 cm long, 2-6 cm wide, apex acuminate or long pointed, base gradually narrowed into a petiole, entire margin.

Below the middle there are many flowers; bracts, bracteoles and perianth segments are dry and membranous, persistent; the utricle is ovoid, about 3 mm long, and when ripe the lid splits open, enclosed within the persistent perianth. Seeds are kidney-shaped, black, with a certain luster.

The leaves of cockscomb are ovate, ovate-lanceolate or lanceolate, 2-6 cm wide; flowers are numerous, very densely borne, forming flat fleshy cockscomb-like, curled-comb-like or feathery spike-like inflorescences; below one large inflorescence there are several smaller branches, conical-oblong, with a feathery surface.

Perianth segments are red, purple, yellow, orange, or alternating red and yellow. The flowering and fruiting period of cockscomb is July-September.