This herbaceous annual is the crested variety of Celosia argentea from the Amaranthaceae family. It is a very mysterious plant due to its unusual appearance and unknown origins. Facing near extinction Celosia argentea var. cristata survived due to its religious significance of the Indian, Burmese, and Chinese gardeners all planting it near their temples. The temples and other holy sites play a large role in plant conservation. Plants are used for their decorative merits but also as offerings to the gods; I believe due to Celosia’s leaf vegetable and beautiful flowers it would fall into both of these categories in a temple garden. The seeds are a good alternative to amaranth due to its pest and disease resistance growing well in both indoor and outdoor environments (not UK hardy). They are grown as food crop in India, Western Africa, and South America. The leaves are eaten as a vegetable along with the young stems and flower heads.