What is a chocolate cosmos flower?

The chocolate cosmos is a flower with a chocolate fragrance and 10 velvety petals that range in color from maroon to dark brown. A tuberous-rooted perennial, chocolate cosmos have a reddish-brown stalk from 12 to 36 inches high, and the flowers attract butterflies.

Extinct in their native Mexico, chocolate cosmos are seed-infertile as they are derived from a single surviving clone and are reproduced through vegetative propagation. Chocolate cosmos prefer sunny locations and are long-lasting cut flowers that do well in containers. Chocolate cosmos typically bloom from late summer to early fall. In cold climates, they are dug up and stored over the winter in containers with peat moss in a root cellar or garage.