Cosmos bipinnatus Cav. APNI* 
Description: Annual, usually a single stem from a taproot, 1 m high, glabrous or minutely scabrid.
Leaves bipinnatifid, commonly 6–12 cm long, sessile or shortly petiolate, thread-like towards tip.
Heads on long peduncles. Heads cup-shaped; outer involucral bracts green with darker lines, glabrous; inner bracts membranous, pale green to brown with dark lined centre and pale margins; receptacle scales membranous, acuminate. Ray florets 4–9, with ligules 2–4 cm long, white, pink or red. Disc florets numerous, yellow.
Achenes compressed, 4-angled, linear-fusiform, with attenuated beak (shorter in outer florets), with a few short hairs towards apex; pappus of 2–8 barbed awns.
Flowering: mostly spring.
Distribution and occurrence: Garden escape, usually found near habitation, in the Tenterfield, Sydney, and Glen Davis areas. Native of Mexico.
NSW subdivisions: *NC, *CC, *NT, *ST, *CT, *NWS
Other Australian states: *Qld
Text by L. Murray
Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 3 (1992)
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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