Birth flower for August 20
Cockscomb
Meaning: affection and a love that never fades
Cockscomb gets its name from its ruffled, velvety crests that look just like a rooster's comb. The genus name Celosia comes from the Greek for "burning," fitting for its flame-bright colors. It reached Japan long ago — the karaai of the ancient Man'yōshū poetry anthology is thought to be celosia, used for dyeing cloth — and in West Africa its young leaves are a popular vegetable.