Kenikir Flower Seeds

Cosmos sulphureus

Often called orange cosmos, this edible plant is treasured across Southeast Asia for both its bright orange blossoms and its usefulness in the kitchen. In Indonesia the young shoots and tender leaves are eaten raw as lalab or blanched for side dishes, their bold, herbal flavour carrying citrus undertones that complement rich sambals and coconut-milk curries. The flowers themselves are also edible, used to enliven salads or steeped into teas that yield a golden-orange infusion. Beyond food, the petals have long been valued as a natural colouring, providing a vibrant dye for cloth as well as a gentle food colourant.

Hardy and adaptable, Kenikir grows easily in poor soil and thrives in hot sun, forming bushy plants that reach three to four feet tall and bloom until frost. The flowers are magnets for bees and butterflies, making them as valuable in the pollinator garden as they are in the kitchen. They also scatter seed freely, ensuring that once established, they often return year after year.

Traditional medicine uses Kenikir for easing digestion to supporting the liver and reducing fever. Modern studies confirm the presence of antioxidant flavonoids and compounds that may have liver-protective and anti-inflammatory effects. The leaves are especially rich in minerals and antioxidants, and after the plant flowers their flavour becomes stronger and more pungent, lending itself well to cooked dishes.

Kenikir’s striking orange petals also have a place in the dye pot. The flower heads contain aurone and chalcone pigments that yield shades of yellow to orange on natural fibres. With the help of mordants such as alum or iron, the colour can be brightened or shifted toward deeper golds and olives, making it a versatile and environmentally friendly dye source. Whether in the kitchen, the medicine chest, the pollinator patch, or the dye studio, Kenikir proves itself a plant of many gifts.

These seeds are available directly from Garden Faerie Botanicals in the heart of British Columbia, Canada. The collection features heirloom and heritage seeds that are personally cultivated organically without the use of any chemicals. Emphasizing historical, rare, non-GMO seeds, this selection preserves biodiversity through open-pollination.