FoI
Cockscomb Gomphrena
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Cockscomb Gomphrena
P Naturalized Photo: Gurcharan Singh
Common name: Cockscomb Gomphrena, Soft khakiweed, Gomphrena weed • Kannada: ನೀರ್ವಾಡಮಲ್ಲಿ Neervaadamalli, ನೀರುಬೋಗದಬಂಟ Neerubogadabanta
Botanical name: Gomphrena celosioides    Family: Amaranthaceae (Amaranth family)
Synonyms: Gomphrena alba, Gomphrena lutea

Cockscomb Gomphrena is a perennial herb, prostrate, 20-50 cm tall, rooting at lower nodes and internodes, usually forming a dense mat. Plant is whitish green to yellowish green. Leaves are oblong to oblong-oblanceoate, blunt at tip, shining, hairless or remotely silky on upper surface. Flower-spikes are dull-white, cylindrical, elongating to a long cylinder up to 8.5 cm long, looking like smaller version of Silver Cockscomb. A closely related species Prostrate Gomphrena has shorter flower-spikes, only up to 2.5 cm long. Bracteole crest small, confined to upper one-third of the bracteole, with unprominent teeth on the uppermost margin. Cockscomb Gomphrena is native to South America, naturalized in India.

Identification credit: Gurcharan Singh Photographed in Delhi.

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