Dendranthema x grandiflorum
Chrysanthemum
a perennial member of the Dendranthema genus in the family Compositae.
Taxonomy and growth
- Family
- Compositae
- Genus
- Dendranthema
- Life cycle
- perennial
- Height
- 1.5 m
- Fertility
- Insects
- Flower type
- hermaphrodite
- Pollinators
- Insects
Uses
Edible uses
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
The flower heads or petals[14][3][7] are parboiled and served as a salad with tofu and seasoned with vinegar or soya sauce[8]. They can also be prepared as tempura, pickled, dried or added to soups[8]. The petals contain about 1.9% protein, 0.9% fat, 5.3% carbohydrate, 0.7% ash[7]. Leaves - cooked[14][2][7]. Used as fritters, they are aromatic[8]. Some varieties have been selected for their low bitterness[3]. An aromatic tea is made from the leaves[8]. A tangy aromatic tea is made from the flowers or flower petals[7]. For a sweeter tea only the petals are used[8].
- Plant part
- Flowers
- Plant part
- Leaves
- Product or use
- Tea
Medicinal uses
Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Chrysanthemum flowers, known in China as Ju Hua, are a bitter aromatic herb that has been used for thousands of years in Chinese medicine[11][12]. The flower heads are drunk as a refreshing tisane and are used to improve vision, soothe sore eyes, relieve headaches, counter infections etc[12]. They are antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, carminative, depurative, diaphoretic, febrifuge, ophthalmic, refrigerant and sedative[3][4][6][10][11]. Taken internally they dilate the coronary artery, thus increasing the flow of blood to the heart, and so are used in the treatment of hypertension, coronary heart diseases and angina[11]. The flowers are harvested when fully open in the autumn and are dried for later use[11]. In China they are steamed before being dried to make them less bitter[11]. The leaf juice is smeared onto wounds[10].
- Product or use
- Antibacterial
- Product or use
- Antifungal
- Product or use
- Carminative
- Product or use
- Depurative
- Product or use
- Diaphoretic
- Product or use
- Febrifuge
- Product or use
- Ophthalmic
- Product or use
- Refrigerant
- Product or use
- Sedative
Material uses
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Plants have been grown indoors in pots in order to help remove toxins from the atmosphere. It is especially good at removing chemical vapours, especially formaldehyde, benzene and ammonia[13].
- Product or use
- Pollution
Environment
- Range
- A hybrid of garden origin.
- Habitat
- Not known in a truly wild situation.
- Light
- full sun
- Shade tolerance
- no shade
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- Zone 4+
- Soil textures
- sandy, loamy, clay
- Soil pH
- acid, neutral, alkaline
- Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
- No
- Drought
- intolerant
Propagation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Seed - sow spring to early summer in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed. It usually germinates in 10 - 18 days at 15°c but if it does not germinate within 4 weeks then try chilling the seed for 3 weeks in the salad compartment of a fridge[5]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer. This is a hybrid species and so will not breed true from seed. Division in spring. Larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring.
Cultivation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Succeeds in most well-drained fertile soils in a sunny position[1][9]. This species is not fully hardy in Britain, many of its cultivars requiring greenhouse protection in the colder areas of the country[1]. The chrysanthemum is widely cultivated as an ornamental flowering plant[9], there are many named varieties. It is also occasionally grown in the Orient for its edible leaves, a number of cultivars have been developed with leaves that are low in bitterness[3]. It has been proposed (1999) to restore this species to Chrysanthemum as C. x morifolium Ramat. since the plant is so widely known under this name.
References
F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00
Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00
Brooklyn Botanic Garden Oriental Herbs and Vegetables, Vol 39 No. 2. Brooklyn Botanic Garden 1986-00-00
? A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press ISBN 0-914294-92-X
Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan. 1990-00-00
Yeung. Him-Che. Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas. Institute of Chinese Medicine, Los Angeles 1985-00-00
Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre 1977-00-00
Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995-00-00 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996-00-00 ISBN 9-780751-303148
Wolverton. B. C. Eco-Friendly House Plants. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. London. 1996-00-00 ISBN 0-297-83484-3
Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00