Petal Power - Cockscomb
When they are the tall variety, these Cockscomb flowers flap in the wind like lost feather dusters. Also called Feathery Amaranth and Plume Plant, its flowers can range from the colour of pure gold through orange to deep crimson, and commonly stand anywhere from 30 to 75 cm tall.
Their flamboyance would enliven any garden border, and because they require little attention, they are often used in public parks. This one was swaying its colours at the Lions Nature Education Centre.
They need full sun and so, do well in warm and tropical climates. A well-drenched composted soil tends to give the best results, so say the gardening websites. Transplanting into a rich soil when the flowers first start to form is said to make the flower heads grow larger.
Though it falls under the same botanical family as the Amaranth whose grains are popular as an alternative to wheat based products, it is a member of a different genus and its only purpose is decorative.
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The Explore Store has many books that highlight these and other flowers in the Sai Kung area.
Drop in and check out: Rhona Baptiste’s Trees and Flowering Plants of South China, AFCD’s Hong Kong Wild Flowers and Hong Kong Discovery’s Hong Kong Coastal Plants, Common Shrubland Plants, and Hong Kong Poisonous Plants.