Etymology... I love etymology: The name "chrysanthemum" is derived from the Greek words,
chrysos (gold) and
anthemon (flower)
I have many in my garden and they are so wonderful. I got a tiny cutting from a friend awhile back and now I have so many gorgeous plants. I wanted to know more about them and so I set out to do so by the way they seem so hardy as well. An Autumn flower. I searched the old
Wiki
Chrysanthemums, often called
mums or
chrysanths, are perennial flowering plants of the genus
Chrysanthemum in the family
Asteraceae which are
native to Asia and northeastern Europe. About 30 species have been described. Florists sometimes abbreviate the spelling to "xants".
In Australia,the chrysanthemum is traditionally given to mothers for
Mother's Day, whilst men will wear it in their lapels to honour mothers,
as the flower is naturally in season during autumn.
Chrysanthemum plants have been shown to reduce indoor air pollution by the
NASA Clean Air Study.
INSECTICIDE USES INTERSTED ME GREATLY
Pyrethrum (
Chrysanthemum [or
Tanacetum]
cinerariaefolium) is economically important as a natural source of
insecticide. The flowers are pulverized, and the active components called
pyrethrins, contained in the seed cases, are extracted and sold in the form of an
oleoresin. This is applied as a suspension in water or oil, or as a powder.
Pyrethrins attack the nervous systems of all insects, and inhibit female mosquitoes from biting. When not present in amounts fatal to insects, they still appear to have an insect repellent effect. They are harmful to fish, but are far less toxic to mammals and birds than many synthetic insecticides. They are not persistent, being biodegradable and also decompose easily on exposure to light.
They are considered to be amongst the safest insecticides for use around food.
Pyrethroids such as
permethrin are synthetic insecticides based on natural pyrethrum.
Further to this post it is dedicated to my late great mate Texsy who sadly lost her life on the road at Bellingen. She would have loved this post. She loved gardening.
Images @ Melonpopzdropz Flickr
