Thursday, February 17, 2011

Cosmos….

Na, this is not a post to Carl Segan’s famous television series and book…

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This is a post to a flower by the name Cosmos.

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The origin of the name dates back to its cultivation by Spanish priests who grew the flowers in their mission gardens in Mexico.

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The evenly placed petals led them to christen the flower "Cosmos," the Greek word for harmony or ordered universe. Cosmos, like many warm weather annuals such as marigolds, originated in Mexico and South America.

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Cosmos belongs to that vast family of plants known asCompositae. Although there are 20 known species of cosmos, two annual species, Cosmos sulphureus and Cosmos bipinnatus, are most familiar to home gardeners.

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These two species are most easily differentiated by leaf structure and flower color. The leaves of C. sulphureus are long, with narrow lobes and hairy margins. The flower colors of this species are always shades of yellow, orange or red.

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The C. bipinnatus has leaves that are finely cut into threadlike segments. The foliage looks similar to ferns. The flowers are white or various shades of pink to dark rose. The bright coloured flowers attract butterflies and bees. They are usually a part of any butterfly garden.

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Cosmos is the Birth Flower for the October born Cosmos bipinnatus-8

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