304 



CHRYSANTHEMUM 



CHRYSANTHEMUM 



BB. Fls. large, 

 c. Blossoms hairy. 



7. The Hairy Type. Also called "Ostrich Plume" 

 and "Japanese Hairy." The famous prototype is the 

 variety Mrs. Alpheus Hardy, pictured in Gn. 35, p. 307, 

 which was sold for $1,500 in 1888, and started the 

 American craze. White fls. with long hairs are very deli- 

 cate and pretty, but the hairs are often minute, and on 

 many of the colored fls. they are considered more cu- 

 rious and interesting than beautiful. So far, nearly all 

 hairy Chrysanthemums are of the Japanese Incurved 

 type. 



cc. Blossoms not hairy. 

 D. Rays reflexed. 



8. The fie flexed Type. Also called "Recurved." 

 Fig. 451. The reflexed forms can be easily broken up 

 into three types, (a) the small and regular, (6) the 

 large and regular, and (c) the large and irregular types. 

 Lately the irregular kinds have been removed by the 

 N. C. S. from a section called "Japanese Reflexed '' 

 into the "Japanese" section, which section, as explained 

 under No. 11, means little more than "miscellaneous." 



DD. Rays incurved. 

 E. Form absolutely regular. 



9. The Incurved Type. Fig.452 shows the general idea, 

 but such a flower would hardly win a prize at an Eng- 

 lish show, where anything short of absolute regularity 

 is relegated to the "Japanese Incurved" section (No. 

 10). This type is by far the most clear-cut ideal of any 

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

 florists has so completely dominated the English Chry- 

 santhemum shows that the incurved section has come to 

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

 Amer. the Japanese types, which are less formal and 

 fanciful, prevail, but in England this is the most im- 

 portant section of all. The N.C.S. Cat. for 1896 says: 

 "The distinguishing characteristics of the incurved va- 

 rieties are the globular form and regular outline of the 



round at the tip, and of sufficient length to form a 

 graceful curve. They ought to be regularly arranged, 

 and the color clear and decisive. A hollow center or a 



toO. Type of Pompon 



Chrysanthemum. 



Grown outdoors, with no 



special care. 



blooms. The incurved bloom should be as nearly a 

 globe as possible, as ' depth ' is an important point in es- 

 timating its value; the florets should be broad, smooth, 



451. The reflexed types 



of Chrysanthemum. 



Small and regular; large and regular; large irregular. 



prominent eye is a serious defect, as also are a rough- 

 ness in the blooms or unevenness in outline, and a 

 want of freshness in the outer florets." A perfect pic- 

 ture of this ideal of the florists may be seen in Gn. 9, p. 

 269, or A.F. 5 :5. Such blooms are " dressed" with tweezers 

 so that the rays all overlap one another in perfect order. 

 Each flower is shown separately without foliage, while 

 the prevailing American idea in exhibition is a mass 

 effect, with a vase of 12 or more long-stemmed fls., usu- 

 ally of the same variety. 



EE. Form more or less irregular. 



10. The Japanese Incurved Type. Fig. 452 would 

 be referred to this type by the English florists, together 

 with all of the many other forms that are not globular 

 and entirely regular. This section and the next are the 

 most important in America. There are many variations 

 of this type. It often happens that the outer 4 or 5 se- 

 ries of rays gradually become reflexed. but if most of 

 the rays are incurved, the variety may be exhibited in 

 this section. 



DDD. Hays of various shapes: forms various. 



11. The Japanese Types. Plate VI. The word"Japa- 

 nese" was originally used to designate the large-fld. 

 fantastic kinds, introduced 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 relatively formal and 

 small. The informal, loose, fantastic, Japanese Chry- 

 santhemums, introduced by Fortune in 1862, broke up 

 the formal era, and the craze for large specimen blooms 

 which resulted in flower-shows all over the world 

 reached America in 1889. The "Japanese section" of 

 the National Chrysanthemum Society now means little 

 more than miscellaneous. The 10 types previously 

 mentioned can be rather accurately defined, but the 

 Japanese section is purposely left undefined to include 

 everything else. All the tubular and quilled sorts are 

 now included in it, though formerly kept distinct. 



