Chrysanthemums, commonly called mums, are widely cultivated flowering plants known for their impressive botanical diversity. These blooms are a staple in horticulture, particularly for seasonal displays, due to their vast spectrum of available colors and varied flower forms. Mums belong to the Asteraceae family and have been admired for centuries, originating in East Asia. Their importance in both the garden and as cut flowers makes understanding their full color range a matter of both scientific and cultural interest.
The Natural Spectrum of Chrysanthemum Colors
Mums display an extensive array of pigments that create solid and blended hues, offering nearly every color imaginable except for a true blue or black. The most common colors can be grouped into warm and cool tones, each with a wide range of saturation and shade.
Warm tones include the traditional autumn palette of reds, oranges, and yellows, alongside bronze and rust varieties. These shades are derived primarily from carotenoid pigments, which contribute to the richness of the bloom. For instance, a yellow mum can range from a pale, buttery cream to a deep, goldenrod hue.
Cool and neutral tones encompass the whites, creams, pinks, and purples. White chrysanthemums are often used as a base for hybridizing. The purples can be quite dramatic, showing up as soft lavenders or intense, deep violet shades. The way these colors appear can also change dramatically depending on the flower form, such as on a dense pompon versus the thin, tubular petals of a spidery variety.
Understanding Color Limitations and Variation
The incredible spectrum of mum colors is governed by their genetics, which dictate the types of pigments the plant can produce. The majority of colors, including reds, pinks, and purples, are produced by anthocyanins, while yellows and oranges are due to carotenoids.
A significant biological limitation is the plant’s inability to naturally synthesize the necessary blue pigment, delphinidin. This is why true blue and black chrysanthemums do not exist in nature, as the genetic pathway for this specific pigment is absent in the species. Scientists have overcome this limitation through genetic engineering, successfully creating a blue-violet colored mum by inserting genes from other blue-flowering plants.
Complex colors and patterns are achieved through selective breeding. Some varieties exhibit bicolors or tipped petals, where the pigment distribution changes based on the flower’s maturity or environmental factors like temperature. Green-tinted mums, for example, often achieve their unique shade not from a dedicated green pigment but from the retention of chlorophyll in the petals, which is a rare but naturally occurring variation. When a consumer encounters a vivid, unnatural blue or a rainbow-colored mum, the flower has usually been artificially colored by drawing dye up through the stem.
Cultural Meaning Behind the Colors
The color of a chrysanthemum often carries significant cultural weight, influencing its use in floral arrangements around the world. Symbolism can vary widely, sometimes holding opposite meanings depending on the geographic location.
In many Western cultures, especially in parts of Europe, white chrysanthemums are closely associated with remembrance and are traditionally used for funerals or placed on graves. This contrasts sharply with the United States, where they generally represent honesty and are seen as a sign of cheerfulness.
Red chrysanthemums almost universally signify deep love and passion, similar to red roses. Yellow mums have a more complicated history; while they symbolize joy and optimism in many Asian cultures, they were historically associated with neglected love or sorrow in Victorian-era Europe.
Purple mums are often linked to nobility, admiration, and a wish for well-being. Pink varieties generally convey affection, a gentler love, and admiration. The newer green and orange varieties carry more contemporary meanings, with orange often signifying enthusiasm and warmth, and green representing good fortune and renewal.