Celosia Spicata

I find this a most unusual flower that is not commonly seen in Singapore. Prior to my encounter with this particular flowering shrub, I have only seen it twice - outside people's houses. This time I saw it next to a row of shophouses in Upper Thompson road. Initially I had thought that I was looking at just one flower but actually each 'wheat head' is composed of many tiny flowers. My search on the internet revealed that these flowers are lasting even in the cut-and-dried form and are used for flower arrangements. I was so excited to have stumbled upon these fascinating flowers that I forgot about the burning sun and did not even notice at that time that the plant was in dire need of water.
Reference: 500 Popular Tropical Plants published by Periplus Editions (HK) Limited (1999)