Chrysanthemum Explained

Pic:Chrysanthemum (Chinese characters).svg
Piccap:The Chinese character for "chrysanthemum"
Picupright:0.2
C:菊花
L:"chrysanthemum-flower"
P:júhuā
W:chü2-hua1
Suz:jioh-ho
J:guk1-faa1
Y:gūk-fāa
Kanji:菊花
Hiragana:きくか
Romaji:kiku ka
Hangul:국화
Hanja:菊花
Rr:Gukhwa
Mr:Kukhwa

Chrysanthemums, sometimes called mums or chrysanths,[1] are flowering plants of the genus Chrysanthemum in the family Asteraceae. They are native to East Asia and northeastern Europe. Most species originate from East Asia and the center of diversity is in China.[2] Countless horticultural varieties and cultivars exist.

Description

The genus Chrysanthemum are perennial herbaceous flowering plants, sometimes subshrubs. The leaves are alternate, divided into leaflets and may be pinnatisect, lobed, or serrate (toothed) but rarely entire; they are connected to stalks with hairy bases.

The compound inflorescence is an array of several flower heads, or sometimes a solitary head. The head has a base covered in layers of phyllaries. The simple row of ray florets is white, yellow, or red. The disc florets are yellow. Pollen grains are approximately 34 microns.

The fruit is a ribbed achene.[3]

Etymology

The name "chrysanthemum" is derived from the Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: χρυσός chrysos (gold) and Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ἄνθεμον anthemon (flower).[4] [5]

Taxonomy

The genus Chrysanthemum was first formally described by Linnaeus in 1753, with 14 species, and hence bears his name (L.) as the botanical authority. The genus once included more species, but was split several decades ago into several genera, putting the economically important florist's chrysanthemums in the genus Dendranthema. The naming of these genera has been contentious, but a ruling of the International Botanical Congress in 1999 changed the defining species of the genus to Chrysanthemum indicum, restoring the florist's chrysanthemums to the genus Chrysanthemum.

Genera now separated from Chrysanthemum include Argyranthemum, Glebionis, Leucanthemopsis, Leucanthemum, Rhodanthemum, and Tanacetum.

Species

, Plants of the World Online accepted the following species:

Former species include:

Ecology

Chrysanthemums start blooming in early autumn. They are also known as a flower associated with the month of November.[6]

History

Chrysanthemums were first cultivated in China as a flowering herb as far back as the 15th century BCE.[7] Over 500 cultivars had been recorded by 1630. By 2014 it was estimated that there were over 20,000 cultivars in the world and about 7,000 cultivars in China.[8] The plant is renowned as one of the Four Gentlemen (Chinese: 四君子) in Chinese and East Asian Art. The plant is particularly significant during the Double Ninth Festival.

Chrysanthemum cultivation in Japan began during the Nara and Heian periods (early 8th to late 12th centuries), and gained popularity in the Edo period (early 17th to late 19th century). Many flower shapes, colours, and varieties were created. The way the flowers were grown and shaped also developed, and chrysanthemum culture flourished. Various cultivars of chrysanthemums created in the Edo period were characterized by a remarkable variety of flower shapes, and were exported to China from the end of the Edo period, changing the way Chinese chrysanthemum cultivars were grown and their popularity.[9] [10] In addition, from the Meiji period (late 19th to early 20th century), many cultivars with flowers over 20 cm (7.87 in) in diameter, called the Ogiku (lit., great chrysanthemum) style were created, which influenced the subsequent trend of chrysanthemums.[9] The Imperial Seal of Japan is a chrysanthemum and the institution of the monarchy is also called the Chrysanthemum Throne. A number of festivals and shows take place throughout Japan in autumn when the flowers bloom. is one of the five ancient sacred festivals. It is celebrated on the 9th day of the 9th month. It was started in 910, when the imperial court held its first chrysanthemum show.

Chrysanthemums entered American horticulture in 1798 when Colonel John Stevens imported a cultivated variety known as 'Dark Purple' from England. The introduction was part of an effort to grow attractions within Elysian Fields in Hoboken, New Jersey.[11]

Economic uses

Ornamental uses

Modern cultivated chrysanthemums are usually brighter and more striking than their wild relatives. Many horticultural specimens have been bred to bear many rows of ray florets in a great variety of colors. The flower heads occur in various forms, and can be daisy-like or decorative, like pompons or buttons. This genus contains many hybrids and thousands of cultivars 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.

Over 140 cultivars of chrysanthemum have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit (confirmed 2017).[12]

In Japan, a form of bonsai chrysanthemum was developed over the centuries. The cultivated flower has a lifespan of about 5 years and can be kept in miniature size. Another method is to use pieces of dead wood and the flower grows over the back along the wood to give the illusion from the front that the miniature tree blooms.

Culinary uses

Yellow or white chrysanthemum flowers of the species C. morifolium are boiled to make a tea in some parts of East Asia. The resulting beverage is known simply as chrysanthemum tea (菊 花 茶, pinyin: júhuā chá, in Chinese). In Korea, a rice wine flavored with chrysanthemum flowers is called gukhwaju (국화주).

Chrysanthemum leaves are steamed or boiled and used as greens, especially in Chinese cuisine. The flowers may be added to dishes such as mixian in broth, or thick snakemeat soup (蛇羹) to enhance the aroma. They are commonly used in hot pot and stir fries. Japanese cuisine sashimi uses small chrysanthemums as garnish.

Insecticidal uses

Pyrethrum (Chrysanthemum [or'' [[Tanacetum]]] cinerariaefolium) is economically important as a natural source of insecticide. The flowers are pulverized, and the active components, called pyrethrins, which occur in the achenes, 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 insects, and inhibit female mosquitoes from biting. In sublethal doses, they have an insect repellent effect. They are harmful to fish, but are far less toxic to mammals and birds than many synthetic insecticides. They are not persistent, being biodegradable, and also decompose easily on exposure to light. Pyrethroids such as permethrin are synthetic insecticides based on natural pyrethrum. Despite this, chrysanthemum leaves are still a major host for destructive pests, such as leafminer flies including L. trifolii.[13]

Persian powder is an example of industrial product of chrysanthemum insecticide.

Environmental uses

Chrysanthemum plants have been shown to reduce indoor air pollution by the NASA Clean Air Study.[14]

Cultural significance and symbolism

In some European countries (e.g., France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Poland, Hungary, Croatia), incurve chrysanthemums symbolize death and are used only for funerals or on graves, while other types carry no such symbolism; similarly, in China, Japan, and Korea of East Asia, white chrysanthemums symbolize adversity, lamentation, and/or grief. In some other countries, they represent honesty.[15] In the United States, the flower is usually regarded as positive and cheerful,[16] with New Orleans as a notable exception.[17]

In the Victorian language of flowers, the chrysanthemum had several meanings. The Chinese chrysanthemum meant cheerfulness, whereas the red chrysanthemum stood for "I Love", while the yellow chrysanthemum symbolized slighted love.[18] The chrysanthemum is also the flower of November.[19]

East Asia

China

Japan

Chrysanthemums first arrived in Japan by way of China in the 5th century. The chrysanthemum has been used as a theme of waka (Japanese traditional poetry) since around the 10th century in the Heian period, and Kokin Wakashū is the most famous of them. In the 12th century, during the Kamakura period, when the Retired Emperor Go-Toba adopted it as the mon (family crest) of the Imperial family, it became a flower that symbolized autumn in Japan. During the Edo period from the 17th century to the 19th century, due to the development of economy and culture, the cultivation of chrysanthemums, cherry blossoms, Japanese iris, morning glory, etc. became popular, many cultivars were created and many chrysanthemum exhibitions were held. From the Meiji period in the latter half of the 19th century, due to the growing importance of the chrysanthemum, which symbolized the Imperial family, the creation of ogiku style cultivars with a diameter of 20 cm or more became popular.[26] [9] [27]

In the present day, each autumn there are chrysanthemum exhibitions at the Shinjuku Gyo-en, Meiji Shrine and Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo. The Yasukuni Shrine, formerly a state-endowed shrine (官国弊社, kankokuheisha) has adopted the chrysanthemum crest.[28] Culinary-grade chrysanthemums are used to decorate food, and they remain a common motif for traditional Japanese arts like porcelain, lacquerware and kimono.

Chrysanthemum growing is still practised actively as a hobby by many Japanese people who enter prize plants in contests. Chrysanthemum "dolls", often depicting fictional characters from both traditional sources like kabuki and contemporary sources like Disney, are displayed throughout the fall months, and the city of Nihonmatsu hosts the "Nihonmatsu Chrysanthemum Dolls Exhibition" every autumn in historical ruin of Nihonmatsu Castle.[29] They are also grown into chrysanthemum bonsai forms.

Korea

Korea has a number of flower shows that exhibit the chrysanthemum, such as the Masan Gagopa Chrysanthemum Festival.

The flower is found extensively in ancient inlaid Goreyo ware and reproduced in stamp form in Buncheong wares. Several twentieth century potters, especially Kim Se-yong, created double-wall wares featuring each individual petal painted in white clay against a celadon background. A vase produced using this technique and presented in 1999 to Queen Elizabeth II can be found in the Royal Collection.[32]

West Asia

Iran

In Iran, chrysanthemums are associated with the Zoroastrian spiritual being Ashi Vanghuhi (lit. 'good blessings, rewards'), a female Yazad (angel) presiding over blessings.[33]

Israel

In 2017, Israel named a new fast-growing white chrysanthemum flower strain after Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, in a special gesture to mark the first visit of an Indian prime minister to the Jewish nation.[34] [35]

Oceania

Australia

In Australia, on Mother's Day, which falls in May when the flower is in season, people traditionally wear a white chrysanthemum, or a similar white flower to honour their mothers. Chrysanthemums are often given as Mother's Day presents.[36]

North America

United States

Europe

Italy

Italian composer Giacomo Puccini wrote Crisantemi (1890), a movement for string quartet, in memory of his friend Amedeo di Savoia Duca d'Aosta. In Italy (and other European countries) the chrysanthemum is the flower that people traditionally bring to their deceased loved ones at the cemetery and is generally associated with mourning. A probable reason for this is the fact that the plant flowers between the end of October and the beginning of November, coinciding with the Day of the Dead (2 November).

Poland

Chrysanthemums are placed on graves to honor the dead during All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day in Poland.[42]

United Kingdom

The UK National Collection of hardy chrysanthemums is at Hill Close Gardens near Warwick.[43]

See also

Bibliography

Books
Articles

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Chrysanthemums: Rethinking a Fast-Food Flower. 17 September 2019.
  2. Liu . Ping-Li . Wan . Qian . Guo . Yan-Ping . Yang . Ji . Rao . Guang-Yuan . Phylogeny of the Genus Chrysanthemum L.: Evidence from Single-Copy Nuclear Gene and Chloroplast DNA Sequences . PLOS ONE . 1 November 2012 . 7 . 11 . e48970 . 10.1371/journal.pone.0048970 . 23133665 . 3486802 . 2012PLoSO...748970L . free .
  3. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=106957 Chrysanthemum.
  4. Web site: Chrysanthemums and Hardy Mums – Colorful Fall Flowers. David Beaulieu. About.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20120110035953/http://landscaping.about.com/od/landscapecolor/p/chrysanthemums.htm. 10 Jan 2012.
  5. Chrysanthemum.
  6. Web site: Flower of the Month: Chrysanthemums. https://web.archive.org/web/20160306130710/http://www.cityflowers.co.in/blog/flower-of-the-month-chrysanthemums/. dead. 6 March 2016. CityFlowersIndia.
  7. Web site: History of the Chrysanthemum . National Chrysanthemum Society, USA . dead. 10 May 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130510021842/http://www.mums.org/history-of-the-chrysanthemum/.
  8. The Scientific World Journal Volume 2014, Article ID 625658
  9. https://web.archive.org/web/20160804014132/http://www.city.odawara.kanagawa.jp/global-image/Press/20115257-2.pdf History of chrysanthemums.
  10. https://web.archive.org/web/20201203225846/https://blog.hiroshima-bot.jp/2020/10/1024118.html Chrysanthemum exhibition
  11. The New York Botanical Garden, Curtis' Botanical Magazine, Volume X Bronx, New York: The New York Botanical Garden, 1797
  12. Web site: AGM Plants – Ornamental . July 2017 . 19 . Royal Horticultural Society . 24 January 2018.
  13. Web site: American serpentine leafminer - Liriomyza trifolii (Burgess). entnemdept.ufl.edu. 2019-11-20.
  14. Web site: Foliage Plants for Removing Indoor Air Pollutants from Energy-efficient Homes. B. C. Wolverton . Rebecca C. McDonald . E. A. Watkins, Jr . 27 December 2013.
  15. http://www.poemlover.com/flower.asp Flower Meaning
  16. Web site: Chrysanthemum (Mums) Flower Meaning & Symbolism . Teleflora.
  17. Web site: Metairie Cemetery. PBase.
  18. Web site: Flower Meanings, Flower Sentiments. Language of Flowers. 2016-11-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20161124141728/http://languageofflowers.com/flowermeaning.htm. 24 November 2016. dead.
  19. Web site: Birth Month Flower of November – The Chrysanthemum – Flowers, Low Prices, Same Day Delivery . 1st in Flowers! . 27 October 2008 . 27 March 2010.
  20. Web site: 中国开封菊花花会更名为中国开封菊花文化节_新浪新闻. news.sina.com.cn. 2017-11-29.
  21. Web site: Remarkable Investment Attraction Result of Tongxiang City . https://web.archive.org/web/20031216082741/http://www.zftec.gov.cn/english/open/govern/detail.jsp?m_id=561 . 16 December 2003 . Zhejiang Foreign Frade and Economic Cooperation Bureau . 17 July 2009.
  22. Web site: 2010年03月27日星期六 二月十二庚寅(虎)年 . 国学365-中国历代菊花诗365首 . Guoxue.com . 27 March 2010.
  23. Book: Niubi: the real Chinese you were never taught in school . Chao, E. . Plume . 2009.
  24. "Chinese Symbols." The British Museum, 2008. Accessed 4 October 2017.
  25. Book: Tang. Weici. Chinese Drugs of Plant Origin : Chemistry, Pharmacology, and Use in Traditional and Modern Medicine. Eisenbrand. Gerhard. Springer Berlin / Heidelberg. 1992. 9783642737398. 302.
  26. Book: Buckley, Sandra. Encyclopedia of Contemporary Japanese Culture. 2002. Routledge.
  27. http://www.gutenberg.org/files/13051/13051-h/13051-h.htm#page49 LOVE OF FLOWERS.
  28. Encyclopedia: Shinmon. Inoue. Nobutaka. 2 June 2005. Encyclopedia of Shinto. 17 November 2008.
  29. Web site: 二本松の菊人形. City.nihonmatsu.lg.jp. 27 March 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110723064541/http://www.city.nihonmatsu.lg.jp/kanko/kiku/kiku.html. 23 July 2011.
  30. News: Jones. Colin. Badges of honor: what Japan's legal lapel pins really mean. 26 February 2015. The Japan Times.
  31. Web site: Markings on Japanese Arisaka Rifles and Bayonets of World War II. oldmilitarymarkings.com.
  32. Web site: Kim Se-Yong (b.1946) - Vase . 2024-03-15 . www.rct.uk . en.
  33. Book: Jivanji J. . Modi . Religious Ceremonies and Customs of the Parsees . Bombay . M.J.Karani . 1937 . 375 . 3009874 .
  34. News: Introducing the 'Modi' Flwoer: Israel names Chrysanthemum After Indian PM. The Jerusalem Post. 5 July 2017.
  35. News: Chrysanthemum flower named after Narendra Modi. Livemint. 5 July 2017.
  36. Web site: Flowering Plants and Shrubs. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110927065830/http://www.burkesbackyard.com.au/2000/archives/2000/in_the_garden/flowering_plants_and_shrubs?p=1456. 27 September 2011.
  37. La Peninsula, xlii (1)
  38. http://www.chipublib.org/cplbooksmovies/cplarchive/symbols/flower.php Chrysanthemum: The Official Flower of Chicago.
  39. http://www.ci.salinas.ca.us/services/engineering/pdf/handouts/BMP%20brochures/NPDES-Available%20Resources.pdf City of Salinas Permit Center.
  40. Web site: Phi Mu Alpha. www.ou.edu.
  41. Web site: Sigma Alpha, University of California, Davis chapter.
  42. Web site: All Saints' Day . Ministry of Foreign Affairs .
  43. Web site: UK: National Plant Collection to preserve chrysanthemums . Floral Daily . 10 March 2016 . 13 October 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171014083436/http://www.floraldaily.com/article/4325/UK-National-Plant-Collection-to-preserve-chrysanthemums . 14 October 2017 . dead .