Skip to main content

Kenikir (Cosmos sulphureus)

Kenikir (Cosmos sulphureus) is a shrub plant that has a taproot and is up to 250 cm high, has stems that are sturdy, strong, erect, widely branched, quadrangular with longitudinal and hairy grooves. Leaves give aromatics when kneaded and colorful flowers depend on the culture.

C. sulphureus has compound leaves, pointed edges, grows crossed to face, flat edges, 15-25 cm long and green. Kenikir is a yearly plant with simple leaves arranged alternately along the stem of the plant with ovate shape and pinnatisect.

Dlium Kenikir (Cosmos caudatus)


Young leaves do not separate significantly from the main leaf bone. The position of the leaf is faced with a long shaped stem like a gutter. The top leaves in a row stick to the stems shorter, smaller and less shared.

The flowers have many petals and in the subtropical regions flower in June to October, while in the tropics throughout the year. This plant is weather-resistant and grows a lot in rice fields, the edge of the forest, the edge of the road and the yard that is sunny.

Kenikir has a compound flower that grows on the end of the stem and blooms for several days. Flower crowns consist of 8 leaves for pink, dark red, dark yellow, light yellow and bronze depending on variety.

The flowers have many petals and in the subtropical region come from June to October, while in the tropics throughout the year. Kenikir has a compound flower that grows at the end of the stem. The flower crown consists of eight leaves for colored pink, yellow and bronze.



Kenikir flowers have many discs, have two genitals and have five taju. The stamens are tubular and blackish brown. Hairy pistil with two pistil branches and yellowish green. This plant fruit is in the form of an achene.

Kenikir leaves contain several compounds including chlorogenic acid, neochlorogenic acid, cryptochlorogenic acid, quercetin 3-O-glycosides, pentose quercetin, quercetin deoxyl-hexose, caffeic acid, and ferulic acid. Dried leaves contain quercetin compounds for levels of 413.57mg/100g and kaemferol for levels of 7.28mg/100g.

Total phenolic content in leaf water extract showed higher activity than ethanol extract. The total phenolic water extract of kenikir leaves was 844.8mgGAE/100g (wet weight), while the total flavonoids were 183.69 to 483.91mgQE/g dry extract.

51% quercetin is the main flavonoid in leaves. The main phenolic acids were 4.5% chlorogenic acid, 3.6% caffeic acid, and 3.1% ferulic acid. The kenikir leaves also contain essential oils which are mostly in the form of γ-cadinene as much as 33% and karyophilene as much as 10%.

In Indonesia, kenikir leaves are usually eaten as fresh vegetables. Traditional Javanese medicine uses kenikir leaves for anti-bone loss, accelerates blood circulation, and lowers blood pressure. Some studies correlate kenikir leaf extract as an antihypertensive and diuretic, antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, antiosteoporosis and antidiabetic.
Kingdom Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Subfamily: Asteroideae
Tribe: Coreopsideae
Genus: Cosmos
Species: Cosmos sulphureus

Popular Posts

Breng (Coldenia breng)

Breng ( Coldenia breng ) is a species of plant in the Boraginaceae family. It is a herbaceous plant that grows along the ground, with radial, cylindrical stems, red, multi-branched, alternate, and white-haired. C. breng has alternate leaves along the stem, oval to nearly round, up to 2.5 cm long, up to 1.5 cm wide, and white-haired. This plant grows in floodplains, seasonally inundated riverbanks, and drying rice fields. It thrives in sandy or silty soils and is drought-tolerant. TAXON Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Boraginales Family: Boraginaceae Subfamily: Cordioideae Genus: Coldenia L. in Sp. Pl.: 125 (1753) Species: Coldenia breng Aryo Bandoro Dlium TheDlium YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dlium

Screw tree (Helicteres isora)

Screw tree ( Helicteres isora ) is a species of plant in the Malvaceae family. It is a shrub or small tree, up to 8 meters tall. It has gray bark and alternate leaves, up to 22 cm long and 17 cm wide, oval in shape, with serrated edges and hairs. The flowers are red or white and reach a total length of 5.5 cm. The fruit is green when unripe, brown or gray when dry, twisted, spiral-shaped, and pointed at the tip. The seeds are black or brown, shiny, and diagonal, triangular, or rectangular. TAXON Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Malvales Family: Malvaceae Subfamily: Helicteroideae Tribe: Helictereae Genus: Helicteres Pluk. ex L. in Sp. Pl.: 963 (1753) Species: Helicteres isora L. in Sp. Pl.: 963 (1753) HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS Helicteres baruensis var. ovata DC. in Prodr. 1: 476 (1824) Helicteres chrysocalyx Miq. ex Mast. in J.D.Hooker, Fl. Brit. India 1: 365 (1874) Helicteres corylifolia Buch.-Ham. ex Dillwyn in Rev. Hortus Malab....

Golden-armed mantis (Hierodula venosa)

Golden-armed mantis ( Hierodula venosa ) is an animal species in the Mantidae, winged praying mantis with females 65-75 mm long and males 45-65 mm, large but not the largest in the genus Hierodula and generally bright yellow with green and chocolate variations. H. venosa has a fully rotating head. The head is dominated by a pair of very large and brownish yellow eyes. The jaw forms a triangle. The back is very wide with thickened margins. A pair of long antennas. Wide wings with rounded tips, striped surface, thick margins, two small white plots on the right and left. The belly is large and jointed, curved downward, the upper part is completely covered by the wings, but partially visible from the side. The pair of forelegs are large and have three segments. The upper segment has rows of spikes on the front and back. The middle segment has a row of many spines on the back and a black tip. The third segment has a row of many spines, long, black and tipped with a long palm. The middle ...