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Dendranthema indicum

Common name:	Chrysanthemum	Family:	Compositae
Author:	(L.)Des Moul.	Botanical references:	58, 200, 266
Synonyms:	Chrysanthemum indicum (L.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	E. Asia - Eastern China, Central and Southern Japan.
Habitat:	Found wild in most habitats[147]. Grasslands on mountain slopes, thickets, wet places by rivers, fields, roadsides, saline places by seashores, under shrubs 100 - 2900 m. Nearly throughout China[266].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	3

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Gnaphalium indicum auct. non[P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Chu Hua [E], Gundandi [E], Hsiao Yeh Chu Hua [E], Huang Chu [E], Kan Chu Hua [E], Magarida [E], Mother's Daisy [P], Pai Chu Hua [E], Sima-Kan-Giku [E], Yeh Chu Hua [E],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	indicum = Indian;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Asterales. Renamed to Asteraceae -- Aster family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	China; India; Indochina; Japan; Portugal

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.6m by 0.6m . It is hardy to zone 6. It is in flower from August to October. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 3/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses

Flowers; Leaves; Seed; Tea.

The flower heads are pickled in vinegar[46, 61, 177, 183].
Young leaves - cooked[105, 177, 183].
An aromatic tea is made from the leaves[183].
Seed[183]. No more details are given but it is very small and would be rather fiddly to use.

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antiphlogistic; Aperient; Bitter; Blood tonic; Depurative; Febrifuge; Ophthalmic; Stomachic; VD; Vulnerary.

The whole plant is antiphlogistic, blood tonic, depurative, febrifuge and vulnerary[147, 174, 178].
The plant is used in China to treat eye ailments[218]. In conjunction with black pepper it is used in the treatment of gonorrhoea[240].
The leaves are depurative[240]. They are used in China in the treatment of migraine[240].
The flowers are aperient, bitter, hypotensive, stomachic and vasodilator[176, 240]. They have an antibacterial action, inhibiting the growth of Staphylococcus, E. coli, streptococcus, C. diphtheriae, Bacillus dysenteriae[176]. The flowers are used in the treatment of furuncle, scrofula, deep-rooted boils, inflammation of the throat, eyes and cervix, eczema, itchiness of the skin and hypertension[176].
An essential oil obtained from the plant contains chrysanthenone, this is active on the brain centre affected by Parkinson's disease[240].

Other Uses

Oil.

The seed contains about 16% of a semi-drying oil, but no information is given as to its uses[240]. The seed is rather small, commercial extraction is probably not viable[K].

Cultivation details

Succeeds in most well-drained fertile soils in a sunny position[1, 200].
Plants tolerate temperatures down to about -10°c and should succeed outdoors in most parts of Britain[260].
This species is closely related to D. x grandiflorum (the cultivated chrysanthemum) according to one report[58] whilst another says that it is a parent of the cultivated chrysanthemum[1].
It has been proposed (1999) to restore this species to Chrysanthemum as C. indicum L. since the plant is so widely known under this name.
When bruised, the foliage has a pungent refreshing fragrance that is somewhat lemon-like and reminiscent of chamomile[245].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring to early summer in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed[200]. 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[164]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer.
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.

Scent

Plant: Crushed: When bruised, the foliage has a pungent refreshing fragrance that is somewhat lemon-like and reminiscent of chamomile.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Chrysanthemum indicum (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[58] Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965
The standard work. Brilliant, but not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[147] ? A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press ISBN 0-914294-92-X
A very readable herbal from China, combining some modern methods with traditional chinese methods.

[164] Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan. 1990
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Yuccas, one on Sagebrush (Artemesia spp) and another on Chaerophyllum bulbosum.

[174] Kariyone. T. Atlas of Medicinal Plants.
A good Japanese herbal.

[176] Yeung. Him-Che. Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas. Institute of Chinese Medicine, Los Angeles 1985
A very good Chinese herbal.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[178] Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre
A translation of an ancient Chinese herbal. Fascinating.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.

[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

[260] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2 Pan Books, London. 1998 ISBN 0-330-37376-5
Excellent photos of over 1,100 species and cultivars with habits and cultivation details plus a few plant uses. Many species are too tender for outdoors in Britain though there are many that can be grown outside.

[266] Flora of China 1994
On-line version of the Flora - an excellent resource giving basic info on habitat and some uses.

Readers Comments

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