Cosmos caudatus | |
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Wild Cosmos caudatus | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Asterales |
Family: | Asteraceae |
Genus: | Cosmos |
Species: | C. caudatus |
Binomial name | |
Cosmos caudatus | |
Synonyms [1] | |
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Cosmos caudatus or king's salad is an annual plant in the genus Cosmos , bearing purple, pink, or white ray florets. It is native to Latin America (from Rio Grande do Sul in southern Brazil to Tamaulipas in northeastern Mexico), [3] and the West Indies, though naturalized in tropical parts of Asia, Africa, and Australia. [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]
The plant is known by several vernacular names in Central America which include: [10]
The species grows up to 2 m (6 ft 7 in) in height. The leaves are soft and pungent while the stem is light green with a purplish hue and succulent. As night falls the leaves fold to close the terminal buds as the plant literally sleeps. The flowers can be found solitary or in a loose clusters and are produced on a single stalk on auxiliary heads. [11]
Cosmos caudatus is edible and its common names include kenikir (Indonesia) or ulam raja (in Malaysia, calqued as "the King's salad"). [12] In Indonesian cuisine and Malaysian cuisine the leaves of this plant are used for salad. In Brunei, it was usually served with sambal (chilli paste) together with the local cuisine, ambuyat. It was brought by the Spaniards from Latin America, via the Philippines, to the rest of Southeast Asia. [12] Ulam, a Malay word used to describe a preparation that combines food, medicine, and beauty, is a widely popular Malay herbal salad that is served throughout the country from major hotels for tourists to buffet lunches or dinners for the locals.
Quintana Roo, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Quintana Roo, is one of the 31 states which, with Mexico City, constitute the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into 11 municipalities, and its capital city is Chetumal.
Malay cuisine is the traditional food of the ethnic Malays of Southeast Asia, residing in modern-day Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, Southern Thailand and the Philippines as well as Cocos Islands, Christmas Island, Sri Lanka and South Africa.
Sonchus asper, the prickly sow-thistle, rough milk thistle, spiny sowthistle, sharp-fringed sow thistle, or spiny-leaved sow thistle, is a widespread flowering plant in the tribe Cichorieae within the family Asteraceae.
Piper sarmentosum is a plant in the family Piperaceae used in many Southeast Asian cuisines. The leaves are often confused with betel, but they lack the intense taste of the betel leaves and are significantly smaller.
Ulam is a traditional salad produced from the fresh leaves, vegetables or fruits which can be eaten raw or after soaked in hot water e.g. Centella asiatica. It is typically eaten with sauces such as anchovies, cincalok or sambal. It is recognised as a popular vegetable dish in traditional villages.
Brassia caudata is a species of orchid. It is found widespread across the warmer parts of the Western Hemisphere, reported from southern Mexico, Central America, southern Florida, Greater Antilles, Trinidad, northern South America. It is also known by the common names tailed Brassia, spider orchid and cricket orchid.
Brassia maculata, the spotted brassia, is a species of orchid. It is native to southern Mexico, Central America, Cuba, and Jamaica.
Eremosis is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae.
Lundellianthus is a genus of Mesoamerican flowering plants in the tribe Heliantheae within the family Asteraceae.
Melanthera, is a genus of perennial flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, native to North and South America, as well as Africa, Asia and Oceania, including Hawaiʻi.
Nasi kerabu is a Malaysian rice dish, a type of nasi ulam, in which blue-colored rice is eaten with dried fish or fried chicken, crackers, pickles and other salads. The blue color of the rice comes from the petals of Clitoria ternatea (butterfly-pea) flowers (bunga telang), which are used as a natural food coloring in cooking it. The rice can also be plain white rice or rice cooked using turmeric. It is often eaten with solok lada and is also eaten with fried keropok.
Albidella is a genus of plants in Alismataceae. Currently, three species are known. It is native to Cuba and the Yucatán Peninsula.
Borrichia arborescens is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common name tree seaside tansy. It is native to the Yucatán Peninsula, Cuba, Jamaica, Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Bermuda, the Florida Keys, and other islands in the region. It is found on rocky and sandy coasts, in both beaches and marshes.
Ionopsis utricularioides, the delicate violet orchid, is an epiphytic orchid native to the warmer parts of the Americas. It is reported from Florida, Mexico, Central America, much of the West Indies including the Cayman Islands, South America as far south as Paraguay, and the Galápagos.
Maxillaria crassifolia, synonyms including Heterotaxis sessilis, is an epiphytic orchid widespread across the West Indies, Central America, southern Mexico, Florida and northern South America. Hidden orchid is a common name.
Dictyanthus is a genus of plant in family Apocynaceae, first described as a genus in 1844. It is native to Mexico and Central America.
Chromolaena squalida is a South American species of flowering shrub in the family Asteraceae. It is found in Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname.
Conoclinium betonicifolium, the betony-leaf mistflower or betonyleaf thoroughwort, is a North American species of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. It is widespread across much of Mexico from Chihuahua to Quintana Roo, and has also been found in Texas and Guatemala.
Xyris ambigua, the coastal plain yelloweyed grass, is a North American species of flowering plant in the yellow-eyed-grass family. It is native to southern and eastern Mexico, Central America, Cuba, and the southeastern and south-central United States.
Quercus castanea is a species of oak tree. It is widespread across much of Mexico, from Sonora to Chiapas, and in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras.