Plant
Yellow Cosmos
Cosmos sulphureusAlso known as Sulfur Cosmos, Orange Cosmos
Yellow cosmos brightens sunny clearings and garden beds with brilliant yellow to fiery orange flower heads throughout midsummer into autumn. Native to tropical America, this hardy annual thrives in nutrient poor soils and drought prone conditions where other garden flowers struggle. Its fine green foliage provides cover for beneficial insects, while nectar rich blooms draw dense crowds of bees and butterflies.
FloweringAnnualAttracts Pollinators
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preySunlight, Soil Minerals, Water
Predators
- Slugs
- Aphids
- Deer
ThreatsHabitat Destruction (in native range)
HabitatsFields, Roadsides, Gardens, Disturbed Ground
Life span1 year (Annual)
Classification
- OrderAsterales
- FamilyAsteraceae
- GenusCosmos
- SpeciesCosmos sulphureus
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Observation: Look for vibrant yellow and orange blooms in full sun during summer and autumn.
- Gardening: Deadhead spent flowers regularly to encourage continuous blooming until frost.
Pollinator Sid Mosdell from New Zealand / CC BY 2.0 · cc-by
Pollinator Andreas Trepte / CC BY-SA 2.5 · cc-by-sa
Close Relative (c) Irving Merino, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
Close Relative (c) Juan Cruzado Cortés, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Juan Cruzado Cortés · cc-by-sa
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