chrysanthemum

Chrysanthemum is a genus of about 30 species of perennial flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, native to Asia and northeastern Europe. Amongst florists and in the floral industry, they are commonly referred to as "mums".

The genus once included many more species, but was split several decades ago into several genera; the naming of the genera has been contentious, but a ruling of the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature in 1999 has resulted in the defining species of the genus being changed to Chrysanthemum indicum, thereby restoring the economically important florist's chrysanthemum to the genus Chrysanthemum. These species were, after the splitting of the genus but before the ICBN ruling, commonly treated under the genus name Dendranthema.

The other species previously treated in the narrow view of the genus Chrysanthemum are now transferred to the genus Glebionis. The other genera split off from Chrysanthemum include Argyranthemum, Leucanthemopsis, Leucanthemum, Rhodanthemum, and Tanacetum.

The species of Chrysanthemum are herbaceous perennial plants growing to 50-150 cm tall, with deeply lobed leaves and large flowerheads, white, yellow or pink in the wild species.

Chrysanthemum species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species - see list of Lepidoptera which feed on Chrysanthemum.

History

Chrysanthemums were cultivated in China as a flowering herb as far back as the 15th century BC. An ancient Chinese city was named Chu-Hsien, meaning "chrysanthemum city". The flower was introduced into Japan probably in the 8th century CE, and the Emperor adopted the flower as his official seal. There is a "Festival of Happiness" in Japan that celebrates the flower.

The flower was brought to the Western World in the 17th century. It was named by Carolus Linnaeus from the Greek prefix chrys-, which means golden (the colour of the original flowers), and -anthemon, meaning flower.

The term "chrysanthemum" is also used to refer to a certain type of firework shell which produces a pattern of trailing sparks similar to a chrysanthemum flower.

The chrysanthemum is also the flower of November. It was also recognized as the official flower of the city of Chicago in 1966.[1]

Today’s flowers are not as bright or large as ‘show’ varieties and the Chrysanthemum family makes a welcome addition to the garden, in particular because its late flowering offers advantages when the other garden plants are winding down for winter. Bear in mind that outdoor flowering Chrysanthemums will still need protection from hard frosts, (that’s why those old men who won prizes used to put paper bags over the flowers at night) and that, given they grow to four feet tall, they can get hit by air frosts when the ground isn’t frosting.

Ornamental uses

Modern chrysanthemums are much more showy than their wild relatives. The flowers occur in various forms, and can be daisy-like, decorative, pompons or buttons. This genus contains many hybrids and thousands of cultivars developed for horticultural purposes. In addition to the traditional yellow, other colours are available, such as white, purple, and red. The most important hybrid is Chrysanthemum × morifolium (syn. C. × grandiflorum), derived primarily from C. indicum but also involving other species.

Chrysanthemum leaves resemble its close cousin, the mugwort weed -- so much so that mugwort is sometimes called wild chrysanthemum -- making them not always the first choice for professional gardners.

Culinary uses

Chrysanthemum flowers are boiled to make a sweet drink in some parts of Asia. The resulting beverage is known simply as "chrysanthemum tea" (菊花茶, pinyin: jú huā chá, in Chinese). Chrysanthemum tea has many medicinal uses, including an aid in recovery from influenza.

The leaves of several species such as Chrysanthemum coronarium, the Garland Chrysanthemum, which is grown commercially in East Asia as a leaf vegetable, known as tung ho (Chinese: 茼蒿; pinyin: tónghāo) or shungiku (Japanese: 春菊[シュンギク]). In China, the greens are often stir-fried simply with garlic and dried chili peppers. The colour of the cooked greens is dark, their texture dense and mucilaginous, and their flavour fragrant and complex.

Cultural significance and symbolism

The chrysanthemum is one of the "Four Junzi Flowers" (四君子) of China (the others being ume, orchid and bamboo), known in Chinese as jú (菊). The jú is said to be a favourite of Tao Qian, an influential Chinese poet, and is symbolic of nobleness.

In some countries of Europe and in Japan, chrysanthemums are symbolic of death and are only used for funerals or on graves. In the United States, the flower is usually seen as more positive and cheerful.

In China, white chrysanthemums are symbolic of lament, while in most other countries, they are symbolic of honesty.

The Chrysanthemum is the flower of the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia National Men's Music Fraternity.

See also

• Chrysanthemum tea
• Daisy
• Chrysanthemum Throne
• Persian powder

References and external links

• Germplasm Resources Information Network: Chrysanthemum
• Chrysanthemum further reading
• ICBN: List of conserved genera (scroll down for Chrysanthemum)
• Chrysanthemum Flowers