CHRYSANTHEMUMS are tropical flowers which were once cultivated in gardens in Georgetown, but which are now rarely seen, if ever at  all.
It is one the flowers that horticulturalists want to bring back to cultivation locally. The name Chrysanthemum comes from the Greek word, ‘Chrys’, meaning golden (the colour of the original flowers), and ‘anthemon’, meaning flower.
It was given the flower by Carolus Linnaeus, a Swedish naturalist, also known as the Father of Modern Taxonomy.
Chrysanthemums belong to the Asteraceae (Compositae) family, which is one of the largest families of flowering plants, with over 1,000 genera, and about 20,000 species.
They are herbaceous perennial plants growing to 50–150 cm tall, with deeply lobed leaves and large flower heads in white, yellow or pink in the wild species.
Chrysanthemums bloom in various forms, and can be daisy-like, decorative, pompon or button-shaped.
The blooms come in a huge variety of shapes and sizes and in a wide range of colours. In addition to the traditional yellow, other popular colours are white, purple, and red.
Each Chrysanthemum flower head is actually a cluster of many flowers, composed of a central group of short disk flowers surrounded by rings of longer ray flowers.
Chrysanthemums are classified into nine categories, according to the type and arrangement of disk and ray flowers — Incurved, Reflexed, Intermediate, Late Flowering Anemones, Singles, Pompons, Sprays, Spiders/Spoons/Quills, Charms and Cascades.
For example, the ‘reflexed’ Chrysanthemum consists of ray flowers that curve downward into an umbrella shape, while the ‘quill’ has tubular ray flowers that radiate from the centre of the head.
The flowers have a wealth of meaning associated with them, and are therefore very popular with florists. They symbolize fidelity, optimism, joy and long life.
A red chrysanthemum conveys love; a white symbolizes truth and loyal love; and a yellow slighted love.
It has been described as one of the most popular flowers in the world, next only to the Rose
Chrysanthemums are easy to grow, and are propagated by division of roots, cuttings and seeds.
Usually, the seedlings are transplanted after about a month of sowing. But sometimes seeds can also be sown directly in situ and seedlings thinned out after germination. C    Chrysanthemum plants can be grown in any kind of soil. They  require a sunny weather for best performance,  hence the quiet optimism among local horticulturalists that this flower will one day soon be a pleasing-to-look-at occupant in gardens of flower lovers countrywide.