Cornflower

Family Asteraceae. Distributed in Europe, Asia, North America. The genus comprises up to 500 species; about 80 species occur in our country. Annual, biennial, perennial herbaceous plants and subshrubs.

Among the annual species, the following are widely distributed:

Blue cornflower (С. cyanus L.) - plant erect, abundantly branched, 50-80 cm tall. Leaves short, narrow. Marginal flowers funnel-shaped, blue or violet; in garden forms - pink, red, white; central flowers tubular, blue- or lilac-violet. Flowers are gathered in an inflorescence - a capitulum up to 5-8 cm in diameter. A sun-loving and cold-hardy plant, tolerating partial shade, prefers loose, fertile, non-acidic soils. Seeds are sown in spring outdoors to a permanent place. Seedlings appear on the 5th-12th day; they are thinned to a spacing of 15-20 cm. Flowering begins after 60-70 days and continues for 30-40 days. Care for the plants is routine - loosening, watering during drought; fertilization is applied mainly when preparing the soil. Used for flowerbeds, children's institutions, flowering lawns, and for cutting;

Musk cornflower (С. moschata L), now bears the name амбербоа мускусная (Amber-boa moschata Less.) - a plant 60-80 cm tall, densely branching. Leaves light green, slightly divided at the margins. Inflorescences on a long peduncle; all flowers in the inflorescence are tubular: in the center of the inflorescence narrow-tubed bisexual, on the periphery wide-tubed sterile, at the edges lobed. Inflorescences have a distinctive aroma reminiscent of cinnamon. Flower colors white, lilac, lavender, reddish-purple. Blooms from July to September. Seeds remain viable for 3 years.

A sun-loving and cold-hardy plant: grows well on loamy, fertile soils containing lime. In the south seeds are sown outdoors to a permanent place. Seedlings appear in 10-12 days; they are thinned to a spacing of 20-25 cm. In more northern regions seeds are sown in hotbeds. Care for the plants is routine - watering, loosening until plants close, two dressings with a mixture of mineral fertilizers in dissolved form at 25-30 g/m2. Used for flower beds - mixed borders, home plots and especially for cutting. In cut form the inflorescences remain in water for 10-12 days. They tolerate transport without water well, in cardboard boxes.

American cornflower (С. americana Nutt.) - a biennial herbaceous plant. Plant erect, 1-1.3 m tall, abundantly branched. Inflorescences 6-10 cm in diameter, double, white, pale lilac, purple. Marginal wide-tubed flowers deeply divided.

When seeds are sown in spring outdoors it blooms in July; when sown at the end of summer - in the following year. There are large-flowered cultivars.

Used for planting in mixed borders and for cutting. Dried inflorescences are good for winter dried bouquets.

Of the perennial species, the most common is mountain cornflower (С. montana L). Plant 30-40 cm tall, densely branching. Inflorescences 6-8 cm in diameter. Ray florets at the margin are narrowly divided, giving the inflorescence a light appearance. The color of the inflorescences is white, pink, purple. Blooms in the second half of June - July.

Seeds are sown in spring outdoors and in beds. Seedlings are pricked out and transplanted to a permanent place in July. Plants bloom the following year. Used for mixed borders, rock gardens and groups on the lawn.