Name
Classifications and Characteristics
| Plant Growth Form | Herbaceous Plant |
|---|
Description and Ethnobotany
| Growth Form | It is a herbaceous annual that can grow up to 60 cm tall and spreads to about 30 cm, with erect branching and has a bushy appearance. |
|---|---|
| Foliage | Leaves are opposite, oblong in shape, measuring up to 10 cm long, hairy along the leaf margin. |
| Flowers | The flowers are round in shape, peach to salmon in colour, measuring about 2 cm in diameter, and borne on upright spike inflorescence. The true flowers are tiny and inconspicuous, covered within the showy papery bracts that form the whole inflorescence shape. Under tropical growing conditions like those found in Singapore, the flowers may be pink instead of salmon. |
| Cultivation | The plant can be sown from seeds. Pinch the tips of the younger plant parts to encourage branching. |
| Ethnobotanical Uses | Cut - Dried Flower: The flowerheads maintain their globe-like shapes and colour when dry, making them suitable as dried flowers in potpourri or floral arrangement. |
Landscaping Features
| Desirable Plant Features | Ornamental Flowers |
|---|---|
| Landscape Uses | General, Parks & Gardens, Small Gardens, Flowerbed / Border, Container Planting |
Plant Care and Propagation
| Light Preference | Full Sun |
|---|---|
| Water Preference | Moderate Water |
| Rootzone Tolerance | Moist Soils, Well-Drained Soils, Fertile Loamy Soils |
| Propagation Method | Seed |
Foliar
| Foliage Retention | Evergreen |
|---|---|
| Mature Foliage Colour(s) | Green |
| Foliar Type | Simple / Unifoliate |
| Foliar Arrangement Along Stem | Opposite |
| Foliar Shape(s) | Non-Palm Foliage (Oblong) |
| Foliar Margin | Entire, Ciliate / Hairy |
Floral (Angiosperm)
| Flower Texture(s) | Papery |
|---|---|
| Flower Grouping | Cluster / Inflorescence |
| Flower Location | Terminal |
| Inflorescence Type | Spike |
| Flowering Period | Free-Flowering |
| Flower Colour(s) Remarks | peach to salmon |
Image Repository
Others
| Master ID | 32799 |
|---|---|
| Species ID | 7212 |
| Flora Disclaimer | The information in this website has been compiled from reliable sources, such as reference works on medicinal plants. It is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment and NParks does not purport to provide any medical advice. Readers should always consult his/her physician before using or consuming a plant for medicinal purposes. |
