Callistephus

/kəˈlɪstəfəs/ noun

Definition

A genus of flowering plants commonly known as the China aster or annual aster, popular ornamental flowers with colorful, daisy-like blooms that come in many varieties.

Etymology

From Greek 'kallos' (beauty) + 'stephanos' (crown/wreath), meaning 'beautiful crown.' Named to describe how the flower petals form a crown-like ring around the central disk.

Kelly Says

China asters are surprisingly genetically complex—plant breeders discovered that their flowers can display nearly every color imaginable except true red, and breeders spent decades creating new varieties through selective breeding, turning a simple wildflower into hundreds of ornamental cultivars.

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