Cosmos parviflorus – Southwestern Cosmos

Cosmos parviflorus - Southwestern Cosmos (pink flower)

Cosmos parviflorus - Southwestern Cosmos (white flower)

Cosmos parviflorus - Southwestern Cosmos

Plant Name

Scientific Name: Cosmos parviflorus

Synonym: Coreopsis parviflora

Common Name: Southwestern Cosmos

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Annual

Growth Habit: Herb/Forb

Arizona Native Status: Native

Habitat: Upland, Mountain. This attractive wildflower grows on forested slopes, in mountain canyons, and in sunny forest clearings.

Flower Color: Light pink, White, Pinkish lavender

Flowering Season: Summer, Fall

Height: Up to 3 feet (0.9 m) tall

Description: The up to 1 1/4 inch (3.2 cm) wide flower heads are on long, slender, leafless stalks and have 8 broadly toothed rays, yellow disks, and 8 long, linear, green sepals. The flowers are followed by slender seeds with 2 to 4 bristly awns. The leaves are green, opposite, and 2-3-pinnately divided into threadlike segments. The plants have a rather sparse, airy appearance.

The similar, commonly cultivated Garden Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus) can sometimes escape cultivation and be seen growing wild in disturbed areas, but it grows taller and has showier, more colorful, 2 to 4 inch (5 to 10 cm) wide flowers.

Classification

Kingdom: Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass: Asteridae
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae – Aster family
Genus: Cosmos Cav. – cosmos
Species: Cosmos parviflorus (Jacq.) Pers. – southwestern cosmos

More About This Plant

Arizona County Distribution Map