The Meaning of Chrysanthemum: What It Is and How To Use It

Do you know the definition of chrysanthemum? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on the word chrysanthemum, including its definition, usage, word origin, example sentences, and more!

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What does the chrysanthemum flower mean?

According to Funny How Flowers Do That, Petal Republic, and Eastern Floral, Chrysanthemum is the flower for the month of November and carries a wide variety of meanings around the world. In Asia, this flower signifies life and rebirth and is used as frequent gifts for birthdays and baby showers. In Europe, this flower signifies sympathy or sorrow and could be laid at graves or given at funerals. In the United States of America and the rest of the western world, this flower signifies respect and honor. A different color of the flower can also affect the meaning. A red chrysanthemum is a symbol of love, a yellow chrysanthemum signifies neglected love or sadness, a white chrysanthemum is used as a symbol of loyalty. Generally, these are happy flowers that represent love, longevity, and joy. In Greek culture, the meaning of the chrysanthemum comes from the literal meaning of the flower’s name, which translated from Greek is gold flower, or the word chrysos anthemon

The chrysanthemum flower blooms in the fall. This would make a beautiful Thanksgiving bouquet or gift for a November birthday. These flowers signify honesty and friendship. Many people love chrysanthemums and the quality of cheerfulness they bring. Try giving pink chrysanthemums for Mother’s Day, particularly in Australia, or a beautiful plum blossom to a friend. People also give these flowers in New Orleans on All Saints Day. This flower has many different meanings, but is a beautiful gesture to wish someone good luck, or to show someone that you care about them. Chrysanthemums can be paired with many different types of flowers, including an orchid, a daisy, or many others that can be put together to make a beautiful bouquet. 

Many different languages have their own words for the word chrysanthemum. You will notice that many of these words look and sound similar to the word chrysanthemum. These are called cognates, which are words that look and sound similar between languages and also retain a similar meaning. These are often formed when words have the same origin or root. This list of translations for the word chrysanthemum is provided by Word Sense

  •  Burmese: ဂန္ဒမာ‎ (gàndamà)
  •  Macedonian: хризантема‎ (fem.)
  •  Persian: داوودی‎ (davudi)
  •  Tamil: சிவந்தி‎, செவ்வந்தி‎
  •  Czech: chryzantéma‎ (fem.)
  •  Telugu: చామంతి‎ (cāmanti)
  •  French: chrysanthème‎ (masc.)
  •  Finnish: krysanteemi‎
  •  Slovene: krizantéma‎ (fem.)
  •  Norwegian: krysantemum‎
  •  Russian: хризанте́ма‎
  •  Indonesian: seruni‎
  •  Armenian: ոսկեծաղիկ‎
  •  Belarusian: хрызантэма‎
  •  German: Chrysantheme‎ (fem.)
  •  Spanish: crisantemo‎ (masc.)
  •  Esperanto: krizantemo‎
  •  Min Nan: 菊花‎ (kiok-hue), 菊‎ (kiok)
  •  Welsh: blodyn Mihangel‎
  •  Japanese: 菊‎ (きく, kiku)
  •  Yiddish: כריזאַנטעמע‎ (fem.)
  •  Polish: złocień‎ (masc.), chryzantema‎ (fem.)
  •  Hungarian: krizantém‎, margitvirág‎
  •  Korean: 국화‎ (guk-hwa)
  •  Romanian: crizantemă‎
  •  Bulgarian: хризантема‎
  •  Vietnamese: cúc đại đóa‎
  •  Portuguese: crisântemo‎ (masc.)
  •  Ukrainian: хризантема‎
  •  Catalan: crisantem‎ (masc.), estrany‎ (masc.)
  •  Lithuanian: skaistažiedė‎ (fem.), chrizantema‎ (fem.)
  •  Punjabi: ਗੁਲਦਾਊਦੀ‎ (guldāudī)
  •  Mandarin: 菊‎ (jú), 菊花‎ (júhuā)
  •  Swedish: krysantemum‎ (common)
  •  Italian: crisantemo‎ (masc.)
  •  Turkish: kasımpatı‎, krizantem‎
  •  Cantonese: 菊花‎ (guk1 faa1), 菊‎ (guk1)
  •  Malay: kekwa‎
  •  Greek: χρυσάνθεμο‎ (neut.)
  •  Tagalog: rosas-Hapon‎, krisantemo‎
  •  Hindi: गुलदाउदी‎ (guldāudī)
  •  Khmer: ផ្កាស្បៃរឿងទេស‎ (pkaa sbay rɨəng teeh)

What is the scientific name and history of the flower chrysanthemum?

According to Bellarmine, the chrysanthemum flower was cultivated before 1000 BC. This flower was adopted as the national flower of Japan in the year 910 and placed on the official seal, and the plant has always been known as yellow flower in many different languages. It was known as krysantemum in Scandinavian languages, chrysantemo in Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil), Spanish and Italian (Italy), chrysanthème in French (France, Belgium), and, in English, Dutch and German (Germany, Austria), chrysanthemum. In 1961 its name was changed to dendranthema. 

These flowers were brought to Europe in the late sixteen hundreds or 17th century and the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus developed the scientific system of naming the plants. He thought that this Asian plant resembled a corn Marigold, which is a small wildflower found in southern Europe. This is how it got the name chrysanthemum indicum. This gold flower is a member of the family of plants of the genus chrysanthemum. In the 15th century, this flower was used as an herbal remedy and type of medicine. People boiled its roots which were believed to provide headache relief, and people ate the sprouts, blossoms, and petals of the flowering herb in salads. 

There has been much controversy over the name of the chrysanthemum over many years. In the year 1995, a formal proposal was made to the International Botanical Congress. This board rules and determines what plants are called scientifically. The International Botanical Congress ruled that the garden mum should return to its original name of chrysanthemum. Medicinally, this flower can be used as a relief for migraine headaches, for relieving eye problems, to help the heart rhythm, and as an antiseptic on the skin. 

What are other fall flowers?

According to Costa Farms, there are many different fall flowers that bloom spectacularly through the month of October through December in the northern hemisphere. The chrysanthemum is definitely included in these, but there are many others as well. These include the pansy, the celosia, purple fountain grass, the croton, flowering kale, the aster, a dianthus, a sweet alyssum, and ornamental pepper, a viola, and a black-eyed Susan. 

Overall, the chrysanthemum flower means many different things, especially depending on the color. This flower can be used in a variety of different settings and can mean different things in different countries. Overall, this is a beautiful flower that can be used in a variety of different circumstances as a nice gesture to a person. 

Sources:

  1. Chrysanthemum indicum | Bellarmine 
  2. The Meaning of the Chrysanthemum Flower | Eastern Floral
  3. Ultimate Guide to Chrysanthemum Meaning & Symbolism | Petal Republic 
  4. The special meaning of chrysanthemum | Funny how flowers do that 
  5. chrysanthemum: meaning, origin, translation | Word Sense 
  6. 12 Spectacular Annual Fall Flowers | Costa Farms