Chrysanthemum

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Chrysanthemum

See also Daisy (disambiguation)

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.^*

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. 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.

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 () or shungiku (Japanese: 春菊^*). In China, the greens are often stir-fried simply with garlic and dried chile peppers. The colour of the cooked greens is dark, their texture dense and mucilaginous, and their flavour fragrant and complex.

References and external links

Asteraceae | Leaf vegetables

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History

Ornamental uses

Culinary uses

See also

References and external links