(1688–1766) In
China, Chrysanthemums have been described since around 500 BCE. In 1630, more than 500 varieties were already mentioned there. In Europe, especially in
the Netherlands, they have been known since the mid-17th century, but their general dissemination took place only in the 19th century. The Chrysanthemum was first appreciated in China as a
medicinal plant. It is classified in the oldest Chinese medical material,
Shennong Ben Cao Jing (early modern era), in the category of superior drugs and is part of the products related to the search for
immortality. "In prolonged use, it lifts the inhibition of blood and
qi, alleviates the body, slows down ageing, and prolongs life" says the classic. "Lightening the body" was a goal to reach the ethereal state of Immortals able to fly and "ride the clouds". From
Jin and
Tang dynasties (around the 5th century AD), chrysanthemum began to be appreciated as an
ornamental plant, while continuing to be used for dietary reasons. The first
monograph on chrysanthemums was published in 1104 CE. Liu Meng (), the author of a "Chrysanthemum Treatise" (), classifies the chrysanthemums according to their colors: the normal ones are yellow, then come the whites, the purples and finally the reds. It lists a total of 35 cultivated varieties that could be observed in the gardens near the Buddhist shrines of
Longmen Grottoes. In the 16th century, the famous physician and herbalist
Li Shizhen in his
Great Treaty of Medical Matter, reports a hundred cultivars. He attributes to them some medicinal properties such as "eliminating heat and toxins", "improving visual acuity" and so on. In 1630, a survey of over 500 cultivars 17 and about 2000 at the beginning of 20th century. The first European author to mention chrysanthemum is Jacobus Breynius (Jacob Breyn) in 1689 in his
Prodromus Plantarum Rariorum. This merchant and botanist describes the
Matricaria japonica maxima, as a very elegant flowering plant, double, pink or light red 20 and existing in several varieties. The first botanical description of the florists' chrysanthemum goes to Thomas d'Audibert de Ramatuelle. In 1792, in the Journal of Natural History, this botanist describes the cultivated plant, with big
purpurine flowers, brought back from China by the navigator Marseillais Blancard, under the names of "
Camomile with large flowers",
Anthemis grandiflora. He insists on distinguishing it from the
Chrysanthemum indicum of Linnaeus with small yellow heads. He proposes in a note to call it also
Chrysanthemum morifolium. From this first cultivated plant brought back from China in 1789 by Blancard, then from those brought back (from China in 1846 and Japan in 1863) will be created in Europe thousands of cultivars and
hybrids. Joined thousands of cultivars developed independently in China and Japan, there is currently a huge complex cultivars (estimated from 20,000 to 30,000). Horticulturalist Wilhelm Miller wrote, "The common chrysanthemums of the florists (
C. hortorum) are often called 'large-flowering' and 'autumn chrysanthemums,' to distinguish them from the hardy outdoor species. They are the blended product of
C. indicum and
C. morifolium, two species of plants that grow wild in China and Japan. The outdoor or hardy chrysanthemums are derived from the same species, being less developed forms. The florist's chrysanthemum is not necessarily a glasshouse subject." The more than 1,000 varieties that have existed in Europe since the 19th century are divided into numerous varieties. The
indicum hybrids as the oldest group have the chrysanthemum chrysanthemum (
Chrysanthemum indicum) as the parent. ==Description==