Chrysanthemums, often called
mums, are a genus (
Chrysanthemum) of about 30 species of
perennialA perennial plant or perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. When used by gardeners or horticulturalists, this term applies specifically to perennial herbaceous plants...
flowering plantThe flowering plants or angiosperms are the most diverse group of land plants. The flowering plants and the gymnosperms are the only extant groups of seed plants...
s in the family
AsteraceaeThe family Asteraceae or Compositae is the second largest family of flowering plants, in terms of number of species....
, native to
AsiaAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.6% of the earth's total surface area and with approximately 4 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population.Asia is traditionally defined as part of the...
and northeastern
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
.
Taxonomy
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 NomenclatureThe International Code of Botanical Nomenclature is the set of rules and recommendations dealing with the formal botanical names that are given to plants. Its intent is that each taxonomic group of plants has only one correct name that is accepted worldwide...
in 1999 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 had been, during the period between the splitting of the genus and 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
GlebionisGlebionis is a small genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, native to Europe and the Mediterranean region. The species were formerly treated in the genus Chrysanthemum, but a recent ruling of the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature has resulted in that genus being redefined to...
. The other genera split off from
Chrysanthemum include
ArgyranthemumArgyranthemum is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Asteraceae. Members of this genus are sometimes also placed in the genus Chrysanthemum...
,
LeucanthemopsisLeucanthemopsis is a genus of flowering plants in the daisy family....
,
LeucanthemumLeucanthemum is a genus of about 70 flowering plants from the sunflower family . It occurs in Europe, Northern Africa and the temperate regions of Asia. Many species have been introduced into America, Australia and New Zealand.-Growth:...
,
Rhodanthemum, and
TanacetumTanacetum is a genus of about 70 species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere....
.
The species of
Chrysanthemum are
herbaceousA herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground...
perennial plantA perennial plant or perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. When used by gardeners or horticulturalists, this term applies specifically to perennial herbaceous plants...
s 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
larvaA larva is a young form of animal with indirect development, going through or undergoing metamorphosis ....
e of some
LepidopteraLepidoptera is an order of insects that includes moths and butterflies. It is one of the most speciose orders in the class Insecta, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...
species — see list of Lepidoptera that feed on chrysanthemums.
Today’s flowers are not as bright or large as ‘show’ varieties.
History
Chrysanthemums were first cultivated in
ChinaChina is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
as a flowering
herbA herb is a plant that is valued for flavor, scent, or other qualities. Herbs are used in cooking, as medicines, and for spiritual purposes....
as far back as the 15th century BC. An ancient Chinese city (
Xiaolan TownXiaolan is a Chinese city situated at the northwest periphery of the city of Zhongshan. The population of Xiaolan Town is of an estimation of 150,000 permanent residents and 100,000 temporary residents. The total area of the town is...
of
ZhongshanZhongshan is a prefecture-level city in the south of the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong province in southern China.-History:...
City) was named Ju-Xian, meaning "chrysanthemum city". The plant is particularly significant during the
Double Ninth FestivalThe Double Ninth Festival , observed on the ninth day of the ninth month in the Chinese calendar, is a traditional Chinese holiday, mentioned in writing since before the East Han period .According to the I Ching, nine is the yang number; the ninth day of the ninth lunar...
. The flower was introduced into
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
probably in the 8th century AD, and the
EmperorThe of Japan is the symbol of the state and of the unity of the Japanese people. He is the head of the Japanese Imperial Family. He is also the highest authority of the Shinto religion...
adopted the flower as his
official sealThe Imperial Seal of Japan is a mon or crest used by members of the Japanese Imperial family. Under the Meiji Constitution, no one was permitted to use the Imperial Seal except the Emperor of Japan, who used a 16 petal chrysanthemum with sixteen tips of another row of petals showing behind the...
. There is a "Festival of Happiness" in Japan that celebrates the flower.
The flower was brought to Europe in the 17th century.
LinnaeusCarl Linnaeus was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature...
named it from the
GreekGreek , an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, is the language of the Greeks. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. In its ancient form, it is the language of classical...
word
chrysous, "golden"(the colour of the original flowers), and
-anthemon, meaning flower.
Ornamental uses
Modern chrysanthemums are much more showy than their wild relatives. The
flowerA flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to mediate the union of male sperm with female ovum in order to produce seeds...
s occur in various forms, and can be daisy-like, decorative, pompons or buttons. This genus contains many hybrids and thousands of
cultivarA cultivar is a cultivated plant that has been selected and given a unique name because of desired characteristics; it is usually distinct from similar plants and when propagated it retains those characteristics....
s developed for horticultural purposes. In addition to the traditional yellow, other colors 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.
Chrysanthemums are broken into two basic groups, Garden Hardy and Exhibition. Garden hardy mums are new perennials capable of being wintered over in the ground in most northern latitudes. Exhibition varieties are not usually as sturdy. Garden hardies are defined by their ability to produce an abundance of small blooms with little if any mechanical assistance (ie. staking) and withstanding wind and rain. Exhibition varieties on the other hand require staking, over-wintering in a relatively dry cool environment, sometimes with the addition of night lights.
The Exhibition varieties can be used to create many amazing plant forms; Large disbudded blooms, spray forms, as well as many artistically trained forms, such as: Thousand Bloom, Standard (trees), Fans, Hanging Baskets, Topiary, Bonsai, and Cascades.
Chrysanthemum blooms are divided into 13 different bloom forms by the US National Chrysanthemum Society, Inc., which is in keeping with the international classification system. The bloom forms are defined by the way in which the ray and disk florets are arranged.
Chrysanthemum blooms are composed of many individual flowers (florets), each one capable of producing a seed. The disk florets are in the center of the bloom head, and the ray florets are on the perimeter. The ray florets are considered imperfect flowers, as they only possess the female productive organs, while the disk florets are considered perfect flowers as they possess both male and female reproductive organs.
Irregular Incurve: These are the giants of the chrysanthemum world. Quite often disbudded to create a single giant bloom (ogiku), the disk florets are completely concealed, while the ray florets curve inwardly to conceal the disk and also hang down to create a 'skirt'.
Reflex: The disk florets are concealed and the ray florets reflex outwards to create a mop like appearance.
Regular Incurve: Similar to the irregular incurves, only usually smaller blooms, with nearly perfect globular form. Disk florets are completely concealed. They used to be called 'Chinese'.
Decorative: Similar to reflex blooms without the mop like appearance. Disk florets are completely concealed, ray florets usually don't radiate at more than a 90 degree angle to the stem.
Intermediate Incurve: These blooms are in-between the Irregular and Regular incurves in both size and form. They usually have broader florets and a more loosely composed bloom. Again, the disk florets are completely concealed.
Pompon: *Note the spelling, it is not pompom. The blooms are fully double, of small size, and almost completely globular in form.
Single/Semi-Double: These blooms have completely exposed disk florets, with between 1 and 7 rows of ray florets, usually radiating at not more than a 90 degree angle to the stem.
Anemone: The disk florets are prominently featured, quite often raised and overshadowing the ray florets.
Spoon: The disk florets are visible and the long tubular ray florets are spatulate.
Quill: The disk florets are completely concealed, and the ray florets are tube like.
Spider: The disk florets are completely concealed, and the ray florets are tube like with hooked or barbed ends, hanging loosely around the stem.
Brush & Thistle: The disk florets may be visible. The ray florets are often tube like, and project all around the flower head, or project parallel to the stem.
Exotic: These blooms defy classification as they possess the attributes of more than one of the other twelve bloom types.
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 gardeners.
Culinary uses
Yellow or white chrysanthemum flowers are boiled to make a sweet drink in some parts of Asia. The resulting beverage is known simply as "
chrysanthemum teaChrysanthemum tea is a flower-based tisane made from chrysanthemum flowers of the species Chrysanthemum morifolium or Chrysanthemum indicum, which are most popular in East Asia...
" (菊花茶,
pinyinPinyin , or more formally Hanyu Pinyin , is currently the most commonly used romanization system for Standard Mandarin. Hanyu means the Chinese language, and pinyin means "phonetics", or more literally, "spelling sound" or "spelled sound"...
: júhuā chá, in
ChineseChinese or the Sinitic language is a language family consisting of languages mutually unintelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the two branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
). Chrysanthemum tea has many medicinal uses, including an aid in recovery from
influenzaInfluenza, commonly referred to as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae , that affects birds and mammals. The name influenza is Italian and means "influence"...
. In Korea, a rice wine flavored with chrysanthemum flowers is called
gukhwaju (국화주).
photo 1photo 2
Chrysanthemum leaves are steamed or boiled and used as greens, especially in Chinese cuisine. Other uses include using the patels of chrysanthemum to mix with a thick snake meat soup (蛇羹) in order to enhance the aroma.
Insecticidal uses
PyrethrumPyrethrum refers to several Old World plants of the genus Chrysanthemum which are cultivated as ornamentals for their showy flower heads. It is also the name of a natural insecticide made from the dried flower heads of C. cinerariifolium and C. coccineum...
(
Chrysanthemum [or
TanacetumTanacetum is a genus of about 70 species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere....
]
cinerariaefolium) is economically important as a natural source of
insecticideAn insecticide is a pesticide used against insects. They include ovicides and larvicides used against the eggs and larvae of insects respectively. Insecticides are used in agriculture, medicine, industry and the household. The use of insecticides is believed to be one of the major factors behind...
. The flowers are pulverized, and the active components called
pyrethrinThe pyrethrins are a pair of natural organic compounds that have potent insecticidal activity. Pyrethrin I and pyrethrin II are structurally related esters with a cyclopropane core. They differ by the oxidation state of one carbon. They are viscous liquids that oxidize to become inactivated. They...
s, contained in the seed cases, are extracted and sold in the form of an oleoresin. This is applied as a suspension in water or oil, or as a powder. Pyrethrins attack the nervous systems of all
insectInsects are arthropods, having a hard exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae. They are the most diverse group of animals on the planet and include more than a million species that are already described. Insects represent more than half of all...
s, and inhibit female
mosquitoMosquito is a common insect in the family Culicidae...
es from biting. When not present in amounts fatal to insects, they still appear to have an
insect repellentAn insect repellent is a substance applied to skin, clothing, or other surfaces which discourages insects from landing or climbing on that surface. There are also insect repellent products available based on sound production, particularly ultrasound...
effect. They are harmful to
fishA fish is any aquatic vertebrate animal that is typically ectothermic , covered with scales, and equipped with two sets of paired fins and several unpaired fins...
, but are far less toxic to
mammalMammals are a class of vertebrate animals whose females are characterized by the possession of mammary glands while both males and females are characterized by sweat glands, hair, three middle ear bones used in hearing, and a neocortex region in the brain.Mammals are divided into three main...
s and
birdBirds are winged, bipedal, endothermic , vertebrate animals that lay eggs. There are around 10,000 living species, making them the most numerous tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Birds range in size from the Bee Hummingbird to the ...
s than many synthetic insecticides, except in consumer airborne backyard applications. They are non-persistent, being
biodegradableBiodegradation is the material breakdown of chemicals by a physiological environment. The term is often used in relation to ecology, waste management and environmental remediation . Organic material can be degraded aerobically with oxygen, or anaerobically, without oxygen...
and also
breaking downChemical decomposition or analysis is the separation of a chemical compound into elements or smaller compounds. It is sometimes defined as the opposite of a chemical synthesis. Chemical decomposition is often an undesired chemical reaction...
easily on exposure to light. They are considered to be amongst the safest insecticides for use around
foodFood is any substance, usually composed of carbohydrates, fats, proteins and water, that can be eaten or drunk by an animal, including humans, for nutrition or pleasure. Items considered food may be sourced from plants, animals or other categories such as fungus or fermented products like alcohol...
. (
PyrethroidA pyrethroid is a synthetic chemical compound similar to the natural chemical pyrethrins produced by the flowers of pyrethrums . Pyrethroids now constitute a major proportion of the synthetic insecticide market and are common in commercial products such as household insecticides...
s are synthetic insecticides based on natural pyrethrum, e.g.,
permethrinPermethrin is a common synthetic chemical, widely used as an insecticide, acaricide, and insect repellent. It belongs to the family of synthetic chemicals called pyrethroids and functions as a neurotoxin, affecting neuron membranes by prolonging sodium channel activation. It is not known to...
.
Environmental uses
Chrysanthemum plants have been shown to reduce indoor air pollution by the
NASA Clean Air StudyThe NASA Clean Air Study has been led by the NASA in association with the Associated Landscape Contractors of America . Its results suggest that certain common indoor plants may provide a natural way of removing toxic agents such as benzene, formaldehyde and trichloroethylene from the air, helping...
.
Medicinal uses
Extracts of Chrysanthemum plants (stem and flower) have been shown to have a wide variety of potential medicinal properties, including anti-HIV-1, antibacterial and antimycotic.
Cultural significance and symbolism
In some countries of
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
(e.g.,
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
,
PolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe . Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
,
CroatiaCroatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a country in southeast Europe, at the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean Sea. Its capital is Zagreb...
), white chrysanthemums are symbolic of
deathDeath is the termination of the biological functions that define a living organism. It refers to both a particular event and to the condition that results thereby. The true nature of the latter has for millennia been a central concern of the world's religious traditions and of philosophical...
and are only used for funerals or on graves - similarly, in China, Japan and
KoreaKorea is a civilization and formerly unified nation currently divided into two states. Located on the Korean Peninsula, it borders China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the east by the Korea Strait....
, white chrysanthemums are symbolic of lamentation and/or grief. In some other countries, it represents honesty. In the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the flower is usually regarded as positive and cheerful.
- The Chrysanthemum Throne
The Chrysanthemum Throne is the English term used to identify the throne of the Emperor of Japan. The term can refer to very specific seating, as in the raised thrones constructed in the Shishin-den for Emperor Shōwa and Empress Kōjun on November 10, 1928...
is the name given to the position of Japanese emperor.
- Chrysanthemum crest (菊花紋章, kikukamonshō or kikkamonshō) is a general term for a mon of chrysanthemum blossom design; there are more than 150 different patterns. The Imperial Seal of Japan
The Imperial Seal of Japan is a mon or crest used by members of the Japanese Imperial family. Under the Meiji Constitution, no one was permitted to use the Imperial Seal except the Emperor of Japan, who used a 16 petal chrysanthemum with sixteen tips of another row of petals showing behind the...
is a particularly notable one; it is used by members of the Japanese Imperial family. There are also a number of formerly state-endowed shrines (官国弊社, kankokuheisha) which have adopted a chrysanthemum crest.
- The Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum
The Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum is Japan's highest order. The Grand Cordon of the Order was established in 1876 by Emperor Meiji of Japan; the collar of the Order was added on January 4, 1888...
: a Japanese honor awarded by the emperor.
- In Japan the chrysanthemum is also a metaphor for homosexuality in poems, as the tightly gathered petals are supposed to represent the anus.
- The chrysanthemum is one of the "Four Gentlemen
The "Four Gentlemen", also called the Four Noble Ones or Four Friends, in Chinese art refers to four plants: the orchid, the bamboo, the chrysanthemum, and the plum blossom. The term compares the four plants to Confucianist junzi, or "gentlemen". A painting or decoration incorporating all four...
" of China (the others being the plum blossom, the orchid, and bambooThe bamboos are a group of woody perennial evergreen plants in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Some are giant bamboos, the largest members of the grass family. Bamboos are the fastest growing woody plants in the world...
). The chrysanthemum is said to have been favored by Tao QianTao Qian , also known as Tao Yuanming , born in modern Jiujiang, Jiangxi, was one of the most influential pre-Tang Dynasty Chinese poets....
, an influential Chinese poet, and is symbolic of nobleness. It is also one of the 4 symbolic seasonal flowers.
- The chrysanthemum is the flower of the American musician fraternity Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia
Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia is an American collegiate social fraternity for men who wish to devote themselves to the advancement of music in America and who wish to associate with others who share that interest...
.
- The white chrysanthemum is the flower of Triangle Fraternity, a society of engineers, architects, and scientists.
- Chrysanthemums were recognized as the official flower of the city of Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and with more than 2.8 million people, the 3rd largest city in the United States...
in 1961.
- The term "chrysanthemum" is also used to refer to a certain type of firework shell that produces a pattern of trailing sparks similar to a chrysanthemum flower.
- The chrysanthemum is also the flower of November.
- A Chrysanthemum Festival is held each year in Tongxiang
Tongxiang City is a county-level city, part of Jiaxing , in northern Zhejiang Province, China. Population : 109,976.The scenic town of Wuzhen is part of Tongxiang....
, near Hangzhou' is a sub-provincial city located in the Yangtze River Delta in the People's Republic of China, and the capital of Zhejiang province. Located southwest of Shanghai, as of 2004 the entire Hangzhou Region or Prefecture-level city had a registered population of 6.4 million people...
, China.
- The "golden flower" referred to in the 2006 movie Curse of the Golden Flower
Curse of the Golden Flower , also known literally as When Golden Armour Covers the Entire City, is a 2006 Chinese wuxia film directed by Zhang Yimou....
is a chrysanthemum.
- Chrysanthemums are common visual hallucinations induced by the psychoactive Dimethyltryptamine
Dimethyltryptamine is a naturally-occurring tryptamine and potent psychedelic drug, found not only in many plants, but also in trace amounts in the human body where its natural function is undetermined. Structurally, it is analogous to the neurotransmitter serotonin and other psychedelic...
.
- The Rock band Everclear
Everclear may refer to:*Everclear , a rock band from Portland, Oregon*Everclear , a brand of grain alcohol*Everclear , an album by indie rock group American Music Club...
has a song named after the flower.
- The city of Nihonmatsu, Japan
is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
hosts the "Nihonmatsu Chrysanthemum Dolls Exhibition" every autumn in historical ruin of Kasumigajo castle.
See also
- Chrysanthemum tea
Chrysanthemum tea is a flower-based tisane made from chrysanthemum flowers of the species Chrysanthemum morifolium or Chrysanthemum indicum, which are most popular in East Asia...
- Chrysanthemum Throne
The Chrysanthemum Throne is the English term used to identify the throne of the Emperor of Japan. The term can refer to very specific seating, as in the raised thrones constructed in the Shishin-den for Emperor Shōwa and Empress Kōjun on November 10, 1928...
- Asteraceae
The family Asteraceae or Compositae is the second largest family of flowering plants, in terms of number of species....
- Garland chrysanthemum
Garland chrysanthemum , also known as chrysanthemum greens or edible chrysanthemum, is a leaf vegetable in the genus Leucanthemum...
- Order of the Chrysanthemum
The Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum is Japan's highest order. The Grand Cordon of the Order was established in 1876 by Emperor Meiji of Japan; the collar of the Order was added on January 4, 1888...
- Persian powder
Persian powder is a powder used for the extermination of insects: especially the powdered flowers of certain species of Pyrethrum, a genus now merged in Chrysanthemum. Persian powder is also termed insect powder....
- photoperiodism
Photoperiodicity is the physiological reaction of organisms to the length of day or night. It occurs in plants and animals.- In plants :Many flowering plants use a photoreceptor protein, such as phytochrome or cryptochrome, to sense seasonal changes in night length, or photoperiod, which they take...
- Pyrethrin
The pyrethrins are a pair of natural organic compounds that have potent insecticidal activity. Pyrethrin I and pyrethrin II are structurally related esters with a cyclopropane core. They differ by the oxidation state of one carbon. They are viscous liquids that oxidize to become inactivated. They...
s, natural compounds
- Pyrethroid
A pyrethroid is a synthetic chemical compound similar to the natural chemical pyrethrins produced by the flowers of pyrethrums . Pyrethroids now constitute a major proportion of the synthetic insecticide market and are common in commercial products such as household insecticides...
s, synthetic versions
External links