"If you want to be happy all your life - grow chrysanthemums"
(Chinese philosopher)
The name of this plant comes from the Greek "chrys" - golden and "anthemon" - a flower. "Golden Flower" - this name was given to him by Karl Linnaeus, the father of modern taxonomy, in 1753. According to experts, this is the most accurate description of the ancient chrysanthemums. The earliest Chinese illustrations show precisely the small, simple, chamomile-like yellow flowers.
The history of the chrysanthemum is beautiful, like an oriental legend, but there are many mysteries and dark spots in it. It is believed that chrysanthemums have been cultivated for more than 3000 years, their descriptions are found in Chinese sources of the 15th century BC. The popularity of these flowers in China is also evidenced by the replicas of chrysanthemums found on ceramics of the same time.
Chrysanthemum indian
It is hard to believe that only two types of chrysanthemums are the parents of all the variety of modern varieties - Chrysanthemum indian(Chrysanthemum indicum) from Southeast Asiaand Chrysanthemum mulberry(Chrysanthemum morifolium), originally from China. (Outdoor resistant varieties combined under the name korean chrysanthemums, obtained with the participation of more cold-resistant species originating from Korea).
The first cultivated chrysanthemums had small flowers, mostly yellow, rarely purple-pink tones. The great Chinese philosopher Confucius in his work "Spring and Autumn", created more than 2.5 thousand years ago, left a line dedicated to chrysanthemums: "They are full of yellow splendor."
Then they were used more often in medicine, cooking, winemaking than for beauty. Chrysanthemums were considered to be medicinal plants that give vitality. Boiled roots were used for headaches, young shoots and petals were added to salads, and a festive drink was prepared from the leaves. The ancient Chinese name for the chrysanthemum "Chu hua" (which means "gathered together" - meaning the petals) gave the name to the city of Chu-Xian (Chrysanthemum City). Chrysanthemum was considered one of the "four masters" - the most revered plants, along with bamboo, plum and orchid, which were the personification of nobility, so the common population had no right to grow it in their gardens. She was the official symbol of the ancient Chinese army.
A Chinese legend tells of an elderly empress who heard about a magic herb that gives eternal youth. This herb grew on the island and was guarded by a flying dragon. Only a young man could get it. The emperor sent 24 children to the island. The road was long and dangerous, but on the deserted island they saw no sign of magic grass. Found only chrysanthemums - golden flowers that still symbolize the connection of the Chinese people with their country. Only in the time of Mao Ze Tung was the imperial yellow color replaced by red. Today, the image of a chrysanthemum with thin, elegant petals adorns the latest Chinese 1 yuan coins.
Illustration from an old chinese book
Chrysanthemums are mentioned in Chinese poetry, written about 1000 years ago. Combining the beauty of an autumn flower with resistance to cold and wind made them ideal in the eyes of romantic Chinese poets. In most ancient essays and poems, authors award chrysanthemums with the epithems "made of jade," "bodies of ice," "pearl petals, and a red heart." Qu Yuan (340-278 BC) was among the first to glorify chrysanthemums. His poem "Li Sao" contains the following lines: "Drink the dew of magnolia in the morning and take the falling petals of autumn chrysanthemum as your evening meal."
Another famous Chinese poet, Tao Yanming (365-427), was also deeply attached to this flower. He left the high official post and returned to the village. His most famous poem "The Wine Drinker" contains the lines: "Pick a chrysanthemum near the fence and enjoy the view of the mountains to the south at your own pace."At a time when he was too poor to buy wine, to which he was addicted, chrysanthemum petals replaced his food. In a poor, lonely old age, chrysanthemums remained his only friends and comforters.
The chanting of chrysanthemums has been a traditional theme in Chinese poetry since the coming of autumn. More than a dozen poems were left by the beautiful ladies of the Jia family. It's easy to compare women to flowers. In Chinese literature, flowers such as peonies, lilies, plums are always associated with the names of beauties. But chrysanthemum was more often associated with an independent, proud, noble, strong-willed and tough man.
Your proud spirit, your unusual kind, On the perfections of gallant husbands They tell me.
(Li Qingzhao (1084-1151?))
One of them was Huang Chao, the leader of a peasant uprising in the 9th century, at the end of the Tang dynasty (618-907). He led an army of 1,000 and occupied the city of Luoyang after years of intense fighting. He wrote two poems about chrysanthemums, one of which contains the following lines: "If I could be the king of flowers, I would allow chrysanthemums to bloom along with peaches, the aroma (of chrysanthemums) would fill the city of Chang'an and dress it in golden armor." (Chang 'an - an ancient city, the capital of the Tang dynasty).
Despite the fact that chrysanthemums have been cultivated in China for a long time, there was no variety until 350. Chrysanthemums had rather small, loose, needle-like concave flowers, and many consider them to be classic to this day. The world owes the appearance of the first cultivars to the Chinese Tao-Yan-Ming, who lived in 365-427, who was engaged in the improvement of chrysanthemums. In the Book of Chrysanthemums of the Song Dynasty (960-1279) 35 varieties were mentioned, and by the time of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) their number had increased to 136. In the famous book of Li-Shizen "Ben Cao Gang Mu", completed during the reign Dynasty Ming (1368-1644), contained a list of more than 3000 varieties.
The Chinese did not want the chrysanthemum to "leave" the country, but in 386 it did happen. Probably, at this time, the ancient Chinese legend, retold above, developed into another: 12 young men and 12 girls, who went in search of the magic herb of longevity, found a golden flower on the island and stayed there, founding a new state - Japan.
In fact, Buddhist monks brought it to Japan, which determined the future fate of the chrysanthemum. The Japanese, with their love of floriculture, in a relatively short period of time were able to discern the great potential of this culture. Japanese emperors sat on thrones made of chrysanthemums, and the 16-petal "kikus" (this is the name for chrysanthemums in Japanese) appeared on the national emblem and seal of the state. In the 9th century, at the behest of Emperor Uda, the Imperial Gardens were created, where chrysanthemums were continuously grown, among which were the predecessors of the current variety.
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Kikujido, Nagasawa Rosetsu, late 18th century |
The Japanese initially cultivated small-flowered terry chrysanthemums, similar to daisies, and shaggy fantasy varieties. They were used to decorate the entrances to Buddhist temples. Later they began to breed large-flowered and display all kinds of forms known today.
Chrysanthemum scent ...
In the temples of ancient Nara
Dark statues of Buddhas.
Basho (1644-1694)
It is known that in the XII century in Japan, chrysanthemums were highly valued, many mikado (this is the ancient title of the secular supreme ruler of Japan, who appointed both the monarch himself and his court) decorated their swords with engravings depicting chrysanthemums. One of the Mikado even instituted the Order of the Chrysanthemum, a high honor for knighthood that was rarely bestowed on anyone other than the emperor. Only the highest nobility had the right to wear rich clothes with the image of chrysanthemums. Finally, in 1910, the chrysanthemum was declared the national flower of Japan.
A Japanese legend says that when the gods in heaven became cramped, they sent the god Izanagi and the goddess Iznami to Earth over a bridge of clouds. On Earth, the goddess created the gods of the wind, mountains and sea, but everyone was destined to die from the flame when she created the god of fire. The inconsolable Izanagi followed the deceased goddess into a gloomy abyss called the "Black Night".When he finally caught a glimpse of her, the old witch began to haunt him. He fled back to earth, where he decided to cleanse himself in the river. His clothes, falling to the ground, turned into 12 gods, jewelry - into flowers: one bracelet - into an iris, the other - into a lotus flower, a necklace - into a golden chrysanthemum.
The chrysanthemum in Japan is a symbol of the sun, and the orderly unfolding of the petals symbolizes perfection. According to ancient tradition, a chrysanthemum petal is still placed on the bottom of a glass of wine in order to live a long and healthy life.
Continuation: Chrysanthemum history. Western period, History of chrysanthemums. Continuing traditions
The article used materials:
John Salter. The chrysanthemum: its history and culture.
//www.mums.org/
//www.flowers.org.uk
N. Shevyreva. And the summer resident is taking chrysanthemums to the city. - "Bulletin of the florist", No. 5, 2005
N.G. Dyachenko. Chrysanthemums are Korean. - M., MSP, 2004
