| Description | Chocolate Cosmos (Cosmos atrosanguineus) a fragrant flower with colors ranging from deep red to maroon. Can be a short lived perennial but mostly treated as annual. |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | (KOZ-mos)(a-tro-sanGWIN-ee-us) |
| Plant Type | Annuals, Short lived perennials |
| Sunlight | full |
| Moisture | average |
| Soil & Site | average |
| Temperature | sensitive to frost |
| Flowers | 2 inch single, dark red-maroon-dark brown, dark center, velvet petals, mid summer to fall |
| Leaves | 3-6 inch leaves at the base, pinnately divided, deeply lobed |
| Roots | tuberous roots |
| Dimensions | 2-3 feet tall |
| Maintenance | deadheading, over winter like Gladiolus, Cannas Dahlia, etc. |
| Propagation | division and over wintering |
| Native Site | Native to Mexico, where it is extinct in the wild. |
| Cultivar Origin | The species was introduced into cultivation in 1902, where it survives as a single clone reproduced by vegetative propagation |
| Misc Facts | Has a faint chocolate smell. |
| Author's Notes | I have never grown this plant but have observed in a few Botanical gardens or the years. The flower color varies from site to site. When the plants produce the darkest maroon/chocolate color it seems to be an unreal color for a flower. |
| Notes & Reference | #51-Armitage's Manual of Annuals, Biennials, and Half-Hardy Perennials (Alan Arimitage), #91-The Plant Finders Guide to Daisies (Sutton), #109-Annuals and Tender Perennials for North American Gardens (Wayne Winterrowd) |
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