Name: Comes from the Greek "krus anthemon" meaning gold flower. However nowadays they come in all colours.

Origin: China and Japan. The Chinese who considered them the highest of flowers, named their royal throne after the flower.

Color: All colours including bronze, lime green and brick red, except blue (which are artificially dyed for special events).

Availability: All year round

Varieties: "Mums" come in a range of shapes and sizes, including spiders, spoons, buttons and blooms. Blooms are normal chrysanthemum varieties which have undergone intensive and specialised growing care. Instead of letting the plant produce side shoots which would bear flowers, all these shoots are removed, leaving only one central stem. This is then similarly treated so that only one flower bud remains. All the energy of the plant is directed into this bud which then grows to a huge size. Blooms come in many different forms, just like dahlias. Some are tight petalled, with all the petals curling upwards. Some have petals which curve and twist like a huge feather hat.