Fito Kochia - Summer Cypress / Kochia scoparia or Bassia scoparia

🌿 Fito Kochia (Kochia scoparia / Bassia scoparia)

A tough, fast-growing annual plant known for its eye-catching look and many practical uses.

🌱 Quick Facts

• Family: Amaranthaceae

• Also Called: Summer cypress, burning bush, Mexican fireweed, mock cypress

• Origin: Europe and Asia; now found worldwide

🌈 What It Looks Like

• Shape: Bushy and round, like a mini cypress tree

• Size: 0.5 to 2 meters tall (ornamental types are shorter)

• Leaves: Long and narrow; green in summer, turning red, orange, or violet in fall

• Flowers: Tiny and yellowish; bloom in summer

• Fruit: Small, flat seeds with wings that help them spread by wind

🌞 How to Grow It

• Sunlight: Loves full sun; okay with some shade

• Soil: Grows in many types—sandy, clay, even salty—but needs good drainage

• Climate: Great for dry areas; handles drought but not frost or high humidity

🌾 Why People Use It

• Garden Beauty: Bright fall colors make it a favorite in landscaping

• Farm Use: Good for animal feed, hay, and stopping soil erosion

• Environmental Help: Cleans up polluted soil

• Cultural Uses: Used for food and making brooms in parts of Asia and Europe

⚠️ Things to Watch Out For

• Spreads Easily: Can take over and crowd out native plants

• Livestock Safety: May be harmful if animals eat too much

🌱 Seed Production

• Each plant can produce 10,000 to 100,000 seeds

• 99.9% of seeds stay on the plant during wheat harvest—making it possible to remove them

• If the plant regrows after harvest, it can still produce 2,600 to 4,000 seeds