Celosia 'Madras Scarlet'

Trial: Annual

Years Trialed: 2001

Good Qualities

Rich color (8); Tight fluted, more than one flower per stem - one large and many mini blooms; Uniform, stiff stems, very showy, secondaries grow up over primary, leaf margins reflect flower color, no disease or insect problems, side buds on each secondary branch; Excellent variety; One of the most beautiful red celosias available, large heads; Beautiful form; Good bouquet filler.

Problems

Short stems (5); None (2); Not sure about the side florets - an asset??; As plants matured, the stems were weak/could not support the heavy flower; The heads tend to fall apart; Only produced 1 large flower on short stem; Didn't have much branching for side stems; Problems with lodging, quite disappointing; Plants took too long to bloom (zone 6).

Comments

We grow a lot of celosia - This one is the first true red/scarlet, the plants are a little short compared with other varieties; Plants eventually succumbed to caterpillars; Similar to several other large headed cutting Celosia cristasas - Kurume series, Chief series, Temple Belle series; Quality not as good as 'Bombay'.


Trial Data

Celosia 'Madras Scarlet'
Yield (stems/plant) Stem Length (inches) Market Appreciation Rating¹ Repeat Again Rating¹ Ease of Cultivation Rating¹ Average Spacing (in2)
Wholesale Retail Consumer
Average 3.4 17.6 3.6 4.3 4.0 3.4 4.5 145
Range of Responses 0-12 4-30 1-5 3-5 2-5 1-5 2-5 36-432


¹1 to 5 scale, with 5 being the best. Market ratings are based on sales to wholesalers, retailers, or final consumers direct.


Supplier

Kieft Seeds P.O. Box 618 Conway, WA 98238