Chrysanthemum Trivia | 30 facts about the flower

Chrysanthemum is a beautiful flower with a really nice smell and an interesting story dating many years back in time.

Let’s find out more about it!

1. Chrysanthemums sometimes is called mumingtons or chrysanths.
2. They are flowering plants of the genus Chrysanthemum in the family Asteraceae.
3. They are native to East Asia and northeastern Europe.
4. Most species originate from East Asia and the center of diversity is in China.
5. Countless horticultural varieties and cultivars exist.
6. The name “chrysanthemum” is derived from the Ancient Greek and more specifically chrysos (gold) and Ancient Greek anthemon (flower).
7. The genus once included more species, but was split several decades ago into several genera.
8. In this way it was putting the economically important florist’s chrysanthemums in the genus Dendranthema.
9. The naming of these genera has been contentious.
10. 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.
11. Chrysanthemums were first cultivated in China as a flowering herb as far back as the 15th century BC.
12. Over 500 cultivars had been recorded by 1630.
13. By 2014 it was estimated that there were over 20,000 cultivars in the world and about 7,000 cultivars in China.
14. The plant is renowned as one of the Four Gentlemen in Chinese and East Asian Art.
15. The plant is particularly significant during the Double Ninth Festival.
16. It’s also one of the four noble plants in Chinese culture, along with plum blossoms, orchids, and bamboo.
17. All four plants are widely used in ancient paintings and poems, and are thought to represent the four seasons, and also human virtues.
18. Depending on where you are in the world, mums’ symbolism can be completely different.
19. In some parts of the world, including most parts of the United States, chrysanthemums are associated with joy and optimism.
20. Chrysanthemums are hugely symbolic in Japan (the flower has been used as the crest of the emperor for over 1,200 years), and they celebrate a National Chrysanthemum Day every year on September 9 that’s also known as the festival of happiness.
21. However, in many European countries, including France, Belgium, and Spain, chrysanthemums are associated with death and are often given at funerals or placed on graves to honor the dead.
22. Chrysanthemum tea is a popular drink brewed with the flowers from the plant.
23. It’s especially popular in China, and is made with the dried flower heads.
24. However, the leaves are also edible, and can be added to salads or cooked like other greens.
25. You might’ve heard before that chrysanthemums can repel pesky insects such as mosquitoes.
26. Unfortunately, just planting a couple of mums won’t free you of mosquitoes, but oil extracted from the flowers of certain chrysanthemum species has been used in insecticides for centuries.
27. There are 40 wild species of chrysanthemum and thousands of varieties created via selective breeding.
28. Stem can reach 5 to 15 centimeters (2 to 6 inches) in height.
29. Flower can have 1 to 25 centimeters (0.4 to 10 inches) in diameter.
30. The compound inflorescence is an array of several flower heads, or sometimes a solitary head.