Chrysanthemum, a popular commercial and ornamental flower often dubbed as ‘glory of the east’ is one of the most widely cultivated garden flowers and ranks probably next to rose in popularity. Sometimes called mums or chrysanths, they are flowering plants of the genus Chrysanthemum in the family Asteraceae. They are native to Asia and north-eastern Europe. Chrysanthemum comes from Greek word ‘Chrys’ meaning golden (the colour of the original flowers), and ‘anthemon’, meaning flower. This name was given to it by Carolus Linnaeus, a Swedish naturalist who is also known as the father of modern taxonomy. They belong to the family asteraceae, one of the largest families of flowering plants. There is hardly any other garden flower which has such diverse and beautiful range of colour shades, widely different flower shapes and height range as chrysanthemum.
Chrysanthemum were in cultivation in China at least 3000 years....
