Chocolate Cosmos – One of the Rarest Flowers

There are many chocolate colored flowers available, but Chocolate Cosmos gets a special boost.  I give it this rating because, not only does it have a lovely dark chocolate fragrance, but it is also one of the top 10 rarest flowers in the world.

The plant is a perennial and is easy to grow and a stunner in the garden.

Imaging walking through your garden and getting a whiff of dark chocolate with a hint of vanilla wafting from a pretty chocolate colored flower.

You have just happened upon a chocolate cosmos!

Chocolate Cosmos has a lovely Chocolate color and Dark Chocolate Fragrance.

This variety of cosmos is a native to Mexico, but has been extinct in the wild for over 100 years.

Photo credit: Ali Express

Chocolate cosmos (Cosmos atrosanguineus)  is a perennial plant with a fleshy tuberous root. The flowers are red to maroon brown with a center raised area.  The plant has a dark chocolate fragrance that becomes more noticeable as the day wears on.

The center of the flower forms in a cluster like appearance and opens into the traditional cosmos shape with velvety petals. Once the flower has died, the plant will benefit from deadheading, which will encourage additional blooms.

Once open, the flower has a cupped appearance but keeps the stunning cluster center that makes it so interesting. The color can vary from reddish brown to deep chocolate.

Photo credit Flickr – Tanaka Juuyoh

If  you can find a plant, it is fairly easy to grow, as are all Cosmos.    Chocolate Cosmos can get by on rather dry soil, as long as it is amended. Avoid waterlogged conditions, or the tubers will rot.

Chocolate cosmos makes wonderful cut flowers and does a great job at attracting butterflies to your garden.   The Clumps get larger with each passing year.  The plant likes lots of sun and a well draining soil. It is hardy to about 20 degrees but can be dug up and stored for the winter the way you do with dahlias. 

Raised beds and organic mulch help to maintain even moisture.  Propagation is by division of the tubers.  This is best done in early spring or fall.

Chocolate cosmos should be grown in a border or in containers where the flowers and fragrance can be appreciated up close. They make very good cut flowers.

This plant comes with both good and bad news.  The good news is that it is a perennial, so once you find one you don’t have to replace it every year (as long as you dig it up and save it). The bad news is that it doesn’t throw fertile seeds, so this plant only propagates by its roots.

I grew cosmos for the first time a few summers ago.  It is prolific when it comes to bearing flowers and a delight in my garden.

Chocolate Cosmos (Cosmos atrosanguineus), as a plant, can be found in limited amounts for sale at Burpee, New Garden Plants, and Joy Creek Nursery. I have seen seeds for sale on Amazon, but cannot vouch for them, since the plant throws infertile seeds. Another plant which is available as seeds is Osiria rose , which are sold on Amazon, and likely will not grow.

Have you had any luck growing Chocolate Cosmos?

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