Colorful Chrysanthemum Flowers

Flowers are beautiful to look at and they play a vital role in our ecosystem. Flowers attract insects and birds which are their pollinators. That means the plants are propagated. Flowers help in sustaining and flourishing our ecosystem and help new plants to grow.

All flowering plants belong to the sub kingdom Angiosperms. There are about three lakh species of flowering plants. The flowering plants are vascular plants. Flowering plants dominate the entire earth surface and vegetation of terrestrial habitats.

Chrysanthemum plant is a flowering plant. This plant is a native Asia and North Eastern Europe. But China has cultivated wide variety of Chrysanthemums.  This flower is a National Flower of Japan. 

This plant belongs to Asteraceae.  This is an herbaceous plant. There is no specific time for growing this plant.  The plant grows at any time of the year. It is a perennial plant. It has a long flowering period. It can be propagated by roots, cuttings and seeds.  The leaves of this plant are alternately arranged. The leaves have toothed edges or smooth edges.

The inflorescence of this plant is compound. The chrysanthemum flower head has cluster of flowers. Therefore Chrysanthemum flower is a composite flower.

A composite flower is one in which have many small flowers called florets each of which is a full flower. Numerous small flowers are packed on a single platform called receptacle.  The flower head of Chrysanthemum has two types of flowers. They are: 1. Disk Flowers:  They are found at the center of the receptacle. They are perfect flowers. They contain both female and male reproductive organs.

2. Ray Flowers:  They are found surrounding the disk flowers. They look like petals. They are imperfect flowers.  They possess female reproductive organs.

In chrysanthemum flowers, each individual florets are capable of producing seeds. Chrysanthemum flowers are mostly bisexual flowers. Chrysanthemum blooms in variety of colors and shapes. Because they bloom in vivid colors, the flowers are used for decoration and treated  as ornamental flowers.

 

The flowers bloom in 13 different shapes and wide variety of colors. They are: irregular incurve, reflex, anemone, regular incurve, decorative, , pompon, semi double, spoon, quill, spider, thistle and exotic.

Chrysanthemum flowers have culinary uses. They are boiled to make sweet drinks. Wines are flavored with these flowers. The leaves are used like how we use greens.

Chrysanthemum flowers contain the following chemical compounds: Ascorbic acid, beta carotene, niacin, folic acid, pantothenic acid, riboflavin, vitamins A and C, Potassium, magnesium and essential oils

Therapeutic uses:

Chrysanthemum tea helps to:

Detoxify blood, relieve nasal congestion, sinusitis, fever, sore throat, guard against viral and bacterial infections, cure digestive problems, improves eyesight and hearing.

Promotes alertness, clarity of the senses, calms nerves, and rejuvenates brain.

A rinse made from flowers is useful in treating skin rashes.

A certain species of chrysanthemums contain esters called Chlorogenic acid. This component of the flower diminishes the absorption of glucose from the GI tract. Hence the supplements made from the flowers are useful in the treatment of obesity.

Environmental uses:

Many harmful insects and bugs may enter the garden during the blooming season of the flowers and fruit formation because of the scent. They may harm the fruits or flowers and the other important plants. If Chrysanthemum cinerariifolium are cultivated along with other plants in the garden they prevent the attack of harmful insects and bugs. Chrysanthemum cinerariifolium is white in colour. They repel insects that harm the plants and the garden.

Chrysanthemum cinerariifolium flower  contains a group of six chemical compounds called pyrethrins. When they start reacting together they produce a substance called pyrethrums, which can poison insects. Pyrethrum reacts with the central Nervous System of all types of flying, crawling insects and disrupt their activities. Thus plants and the produce are rescued.

When pyrethrum enters the insect body, they attack the sodium channels lining the length of the nerve cells. Sodium is required for transmitting nerve impulses. The nerve cells stop functioning properly and the nervous system of the insects automatically shuts down. As a result the insects die. In low concentration of pyrethrum, the insect flee from the garden.

                                                   

Colourful Chrysanthemums can be grown indoors not just to beautify houses or offices. It can be grown in pots to purify and filter indoor air. They are ranked the highest for air purification. They are shown to eliminate common toxins. They filter benzene, formaldehyde, xylene and ammonia from indoor air. Indoor air is polluted due to the fact that we are using detergents, glue, paint, different types of plastics and other house cleaning chemicals. Chrysanthemum flowers will filter air and bless us with pure indoor air. 

Chrysanthemum cinerariifolium flower that contain pyrethrum can induce abnormal behaviour in female mosquitoes carrying malarial parasite plasmodium, making them unable to bite human beings and prevent malaria attacking us.

Planting flowers is a joyful activity. The benefits of planting flowers include increased landscaping appeal, interest, enhanced emotional wellbeing, exercise and clean air. Growing plants filter pollutants from the air. During the process of photosynthesis, the leaves of the flowers absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen. Additionally, flowering plants hold the soil in its proper place, reducing erosion and flooding.

Chrysanthemums have multifarious uses to mankind. Grow the plant both indoor and outdoor cherish its beauty and enjoy the benefits.