Japanese Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemum × morifolium
Family: Asteraceae · Also called Kiku, Exhibition Mum, Ogiku, Matricaria × morifolia, Dendranthema indicum var. maruyamanum, Dendranthema indicum var. tsurugisanense
Earthy & Warm · Autumn bloomer
Japanese chrysanthemums represent over a millennium of obsessive cultivation, enormous, impossibly perfect incurved globes, cascading waterfalls, delicate spider forms, and tight pompons in every autumn color. Each form has a name and a standard; competitions judge symmetry, color depth, and cultural technique passed down through generations.
longevity, nobility, imperial power, autumn
In the Victorian language of flowers, japanese chrysanthemum means “Nobility and devoted love”. The chrysanthemum is the symbol of the Japanese Imperial Family, the 16-petal Imperial Seal (Chrysanthemum Throne) has represented the emperor for over 1,000 years. The annual 'Kiku Matsuri' (Chrysanthemum Festival) on November 9 is a national tradition. Japanese growers spend months training single stems to produce exhibition blooms over 12 inches across.
Did You Know?
Japanese exhibition chrysanthemums ('ozukuri') are grown using a technique where a single plant is trained over 11 months to produce either one enormous bloom, three perfect flowers on graduated stems, or a 'thousand-bloom' dome of 500+ flowers from one root. The training regimen involves precise pinching, feeding, and light manipulation.
Cultivated gardens; exhibition forms grown under precise conditions for competitions
Japanese Chrysanthemum is native to China (refined in Japan). It naturally grows in cultivated gardens; exhibition forms grown under precise conditions for competitions.
Scent Profile
“A distinctive herbal-camphor aroma, sharp, bitter, and deeply aromatic. The scent of chrysanthemum leaves and flowers is instantly recognizable and inseparable from autumn in Japan.”
Quick Reference
- Scientific NameChrysanthemum × morifolium
- FamilyAsteraceae
- Native ToChina (refined in Japan)
- Bloom SeasonAutumn
- LifespanPerennial
Cultural Significance
The chrysanthemum is the symbol of the Japanese Imperial Family, the 16-petal Imperial Seal (Chrysanthemum Throne) has represented the emperor for over 1,000 years. The annual 'Kiku Matsuri' (Chrysanthemum Festival) on November 9 is a national tradition. Japanese growers spend months training single stems to produce exhibition blooms over 12 inches across.