760 



CHRYSANTHEMUM 



CHRYSANTHEMUM 



considered more curious and interesting than beauti- 

 ful. So far, nearly all hairy chrysanthemums are of the 

 Japanese Incurved type. Since the hairs are on the 

 backs of the florets, they show best in incurved types. 



cc. Blossoms not hairy. 

 D. Rays re flexed. 



8. The Reflexed Type. 

 Also called "Recurved." Fig. 

 942. The reflexed forms can 

 be easily broken up into 3 

 types, (a) the small and 

 regular, (6) the large and 

 regular, and (c) the large and 

 irregular types. The latest 

 standard requires that re- 

 flexed flowers have hemi- 

 spheroidal heads, with no 

 trace of thinness in the cen- 

 ter, and broad overlapping 

 florets. 



DD. Rays incurved. 

 E. Form absolutely regular. 



9. The Incurved Type. 

 Fig. 943 shows the general 



941. Hairy type. idea, but such a fl. would 



hardly win a prize at an 



English show, where anything short of absolute regu- 

 larity is relegated to the "Japanese Incurved" section 

 (No. 10). This form is by far the most clear-cut ideal of 

 any of these types, and for many years this ideal of the 

 florists so completely dominated the English chry- 

 santhemum shows that the incurved section came to 

 be known there as the "exhibition" or "show type." 

 In America the Japanese types, which are less formal 

 and fanciful, early prevailed, but in England this has 

 been the most important section of all. 



EE. Form more or less irregular. 



10. The Japanese Incurved Type. This section and 

 the next have been the most important in America. 

 There are many variations of this type. It often hap- 

 pens that the outer 4 or 5 series of rays gradually become 

 reflexed, but if most of the rays are incurved, the variety 

 may be exhibited in this section. Fig. 943. 



DDD. Rays of various shapes: forms diverse. 



11. The Japanese Types. The word "Japanese" 

 was originally used to designate the large-fld. fantastic 

 kinds, intro. by Robert Fortune from Japan in 1862. 

 It has never been restricted to varieties imported 

 directly from Japan, but has always included seedlings 

 raised in the western world. Before 1862, all florists' 



fls. in England were rela- 

 tively formal and small. 

 The informal, loose, gro- 

 tesque, Japanese chrysan- 

 themums, intro. by Fortune 

 broke up the conventional 

 era, and the demand for 

 large specimen blooms that 

 resulted in fl.-shows all over 

 the world reached Amer. in 

 1889. The "Japanese sec- 

 tion" now means little more 

 than "Miscellaneous." The 

 10 types previously men- 

 tioned can be rather accu- 

 rately defined, but the Japa- 

 nese section is purposely 

 left undefined to include 

 everything else. All the 

 tubular and quilled sorts are 

 now included in it, although 



942. Reflexed type. formerly kept distinct. 



Relative importance and uses of the foregoing types. 



In general, the large-flowered forms are more popular 

 than the small-flowered forms, especially at exhibitions, 

 where great size is often the greatest factor in prize- 

 winning. Types 9, 10 and 11 are the most important 

 in America, especially the Japanese section. The flowers 

 of types 9 and 10 are likely to be more compact and 

 globular, and hence better for long shipments than the 

 looser and more fanciful types. Types 9, 10 and 11 

 are those to which most care is given, especially in 

 disbudding and training. They are the ones most com- 

 monly grown by the florists for cut-flowers, and when- 

 ever one large flower on a long stem is desired. The 

 anemone-flowered forms are all usually considered as 

 curiosities, especially the Japanese anemones, which 

 are often exhibited as freaks and oddities. The single 

 and anemone-flowered forms are used chiefly for speci- 

 mens in pots with many small flowers, but all the other 

 types are used for the same purpose. For outdoor cul- 

 ture, the hardy pompons, with their numerous small 

 flowers, are usually better than the large-flowering or 

 Japanese kinds. 



As an indication of the constant change in standards 

 of appreciation, may be cited the present popularity 



943. Type of Japanese incurved chrysanthemum. 



of short-stemmed chrysanthemums (Fig. 944) as dis- 

 tinguished from the greatly elongated stem that was 

 exclusively desired some years ago; and also the demand 

 for bushy many-flowered plants, producing small bloom 

 as compared with the former excessively large detached 

 flowers. 



The current English classification. 



The Floral Committee of the National Chrysanthe- 

 mum Society (of England) in 1912 published the fol- 

 lowing "new classification of Chrysanthemums" 

 (published also in American Florist, Sept. 21, 1912, 

 by Elmer D. Smith) : 



SECTION I. INCURVED (Fig. 945). 



The distinguishing characteristics of this section are the globular 

 form and regular outline of the blooms. The flower should be as 

 nearly a globe as possible, as depth is an important point in esti- 

 mating its value. The florets ought to be smooth, rounded, or 

 somewhat pointed at the tip, of sufficient length to form a graceful 

 curve, and be regularly arranged. A hollow center or prominent 

 eye are serious defects, as also are a roughness in the blooms, 

 unevenness of outline and a want of freshness in the outer florets. 



The section is now subdivided into: 



Sub-section (a). Large-flowered varieties. 



Sub-section (b). Medium- and small-flowered varieties. 



