BRIEF HISTORY AND BACKGROUND TO THE FLORIST’S CHRYSANTHEMUM

Fred Mudd

C. _morifolium is the popular Florist’s Chrysanthemum and is of uncertain origin, although most accounts regard China, where references to the flower date back over 2500 years, as the source country. Chrysanthemum indicum L. is the major parent in what is possibly a complex hybrid mix of four or more species. Plants were introduced to Europe from China in the late 18th century and there have since been many new introductions. Since then, careful breeding and selection have resulted in many cultivars in both the West and Asia.

In Australia in the 1900s, Thomas W. Pockett bred many new cultivars and these were distributed to the USA and UK. Notable are: ‘The Duke of Kent’, ‘Patricia Barnett’ [‘Shirley  Primrose’], ‘Louisa Pockett’, ‘T.W. Pockett’ and ‘Mrs J.R. Dyer’ [‘Shirley Champion’], all of which are well over 50 years old and still grown. Keith Castles, a breeder from SA produced, among others, the rich pink Medium Exhibition ‘Payneham’s Splendour’ as well as the Anemones ‘Judith Castles’, ‘Helen Castles’, and many more. Bruce Furneaux was prominent in the field and a renowned breeder; ‘Nancye Furneaux’ a yellow Reflexed is one of his best known and is a great favourite, but he also produced ‘Arthur Greaves’, ‘Jane Sharpe’, ‘Patricia Scheele’ and ‘Rae Dunstan’, which are grown both in Australia and overseas. Currently in WA Ron Seaton who has produced the outstanding ‘Seaton’s Flirt’ and ‘Seaton’s Galaxy’, which have received overseas awards; while Len Stoakes has produced, among others, ‘Stoakes’ Pioneer’, ‘Stoakes’ Supreme’, ‘Stoakes’ Vanilla’, ‘Stoakes’ Cleo’, ‘Stoakes’ Royale’, ‘Western Sundew’ and many pompones. There are no longer any breeders of exhibitions in Australia, most new cultivars being produced in the USA, Japan and the UK.

Commercial suppliers to the floristry industry are Chrysco Flowers, Clean Grow, Ormandy Plants Pty Ltd and F. & I. Baguley Flower and Plant Growers, although many small growers also supply the cut flower trade.

CULTIVARS

The Victorian Chrysanthemum Society Revised 1999 Register of Chrysanthemums contains 840 cultivars, while the Australian Chrysanthemum Council 1997 Register lists 1390 cultivars. Classifications vary from state to state and new cultivars are constantly being added.

A range of popular and Australian-raised cultivars has been selected for mention here. B - blue, Cr - cream, D - dunn, L - lilac, O - orange, P - pink, Pu - purple, R - red, Sal - salmon, W- white, Y- yellow

Large exhibition: 'Athabasca' (L/P), 'Duke of Kent' (Pu) (and the sports 'Cream Duke', 'Pink Duke' and 'Yellow Duke', origin Australia), 'Elizabeth Shoesmith' (Pu), 'Jane Sharpe' (R) (origin Australia), 'Jessie Habgood' (W), 'Lancashire Fold' (Pu), 'Mark Woolman' (L/Y), 'Nancye Furneaux' (Y) (origin Australia), 'Stoakes' Supreme' (Y) (origin Australia), 'Yellow Phil Houghton' (Y).

Medium exhibition: 'Apricot Harry Gee' (O), 'Barcelona' (R), 'Connie Mayhew' (L/Y), 'Coronation Pink' (P) (origin Australia), 'Idris' (R), 'Lady Knox' (P) (origin Australia), 'Louisa Pockett' (W) (origin Australia), 'Lundy' (W), 'Payneham's Splendour' (P) (origin Australia), 'Primrose Supreme' (P/Y), 'Stoakes' Pioneer' (Y) (origin Australia), 'T.W. Pockett' (P) (origin Australia).

Incurved: 'Alison Kirk' (W), 'Arthur Greaves' (B) (origin Australia), 'Cheddar' (Y), 'Cream John Hughes' (Cr), 'David Higgins' (Y), 'Golden Lady' (Y), 'John Hughes' (W), 'Lakelanders' (P/Pu), 'Morocco' (Y), 'Rose Stoakes' (Pu) (origin Australia), 'Seaton's Flirt' (P) (origin Australia), 'Stockton' (Pu), 'Welcome News' (L/B), 'Yellow John Hughes' (Y).

Reflexed: 'Doreen Statham' (D/R), 'Dorridge King' (R), 'John Winfield' (W) (which has the sports 'Yellow John Winfield' and 'Pink John Winfield'), 'Matthew Scheele' (S) (origin Australia), 'Seaton's Pink Cloud' (P) (origin Australia), 'West Bromwich' (W) (which has the sports 'Primrose West Bromwich', 'Pink West Bromwich' and 'Yellow West Bromwich'), 'Wren' (P).

Early flowering: 'Apricot Courtier' (L/B), 'Black Magic' (D/Pu), 'Bruera' (W), 'County Herald' (Y), 'Eve Gray' (P), 'Gillette' (Cr), 'Janice Shreave' (P), 'Rose Venice' (D/P), 'Salmon Venice' (Sal), 'Susan Freestone' (Y), 'Venice' (P).

Intermediate: 'Alexis' (P), 'Daily Mirror' (Pu), 'Denise Oatridge' (P/Pu) (which has the sport 'White Denise Oatridge'), 'Harold Lawson' (L/B), 'Jan Wardle' (P), 'Kokka-no-sachi' (P), 'Malcolm Perkins' (Y), 'May Shoesmith' (W), 'Patricia Scheele' (W) (origin Australia), 'Pink Pooly's' (P/Pu), 'Red Mary Elizabeth' (R), 'Rose Shoesmith' (P), 'Stoakes' Pink Ice' (P) (origin Australia), 'Stoakes' Samantha' (P) (origin Australia), 'Stoakes'Vanilla' (Cr) (origin Australia).

Anemone: 'Adrianne Mechen' (P/Pu), 'Beautiful Lady' (P), 'Cloverlea Herald' (R), 'Cloverlea Sunshine' (L/B), 'Dorothy Mechen' (P), 'Dorothy Mechen Reward' (B), 'Dorothy Mechen Sunburst' (L/B), 'Edith Mechen' (B), 'Judith Castles' (W) (origin Australia), 'Stoakes' Royale' (Pu) (origin Australia), 'Western Crystal' (W) (origin Australia), 'Western Sundew' (Y) (origin Australia).

Single: 'Brierton Festival' (O/C), 'Charmaine' (Pu), 'Dorothy' (P), 'Elizabeth' (R), 'Glad Eye' (R), 'Gordon Taylor' (R), 'Kellies Choice' (W) (origin Australia), 'Majori Joan' (P/Pu), 'Mason's Bronze' (B), 'Norak' (R) (origin Australia), 'Norm White' (L/B) (origin Australia), 'Red Woolman's Glory' (R), 'Sylphides' (P), 'Temple Gold' (L/B) (origin Australia), 'White Irvine' (W), 'Yellow Woolman's Glory' (Y).

Pompone: 'Carillon' (P), 'Illini Igloo' (W), 'Illini Redhead' (R), 'Kelvin Aurora' (Y) (origin Australia), 'Kelvin Bonnie Blue' (Pu) (origin Australia), 'Kelvin Gold' (Y) (origin Australia), 'Kelvin Gypsy' (R) (origin Australia), 'Kelvin Rio' (R) (origin Australia), 'Kelvin Sapphire' (P) (origin Australia), 'Kelvin Solitaire' (P) (origin Australia), 'Kelvin Victory' (P) (origin Australia), 'Moda' (Y), 'Ping Pong' (W).

Spray: 'Hero' (R), 'Pink Gin' (P), 'Romark' (W), 'Ropure' (W), 'Satin Pink Gin' (P), 'Steve Ovett' (L/P), 'Venture' (Y), 'White Fresco' (W).

Early flowering spray: 'Broadway Mandy' (D/P), 'Dee Gem' (L/P), 'Golden Margaret' (Y), 'Red Wendy' (R), 'Rose Broadway Mandy' (P), 'Rosed Talbot Parade' (P), 'Ruby Enbee Wedding' (D/P), 'Salmon Margaret' (Sal/P), 'Talbot Parade' (P), 'Wendy' (D/Y).

Spiders and quills: 'Bride's Veil' (W), 'Classic Perfection' (P), 'Dianne Stoakes' (Pu), 'Dusky Queen' (B), 'Miss Atlanta' (B), 'Perfect Accent' (W), 'Seaton's Coffee' (B), 'Seaton's Galaxy' (Pu), 'Seaton's Goldfinger' (R), 'Seaton's Lace' (Y), 'Senkyo Bunjaku' (P), 'Senkyo Emaki' (P), 'Stoakes' Tapestry' (P), 'Yellow Knight' (Y).

Charms and cascades: 'Alan Aitken' (W), 'Alanson' (W), 'Golden Chalice' (Y), 'Han-no-yumi' (P), 'Morning Star' (R), 'Ogilvie Gold' (Y), 'Ogilvie Red' (R), 'Red Burst' (R), 'Shin Otome' (D/P), 'Snowflake' (W), 'Sun King' (R), 'Thistle Hill' (R), 'Valley Candy' (P), 'Valley Gold' (Y), 'Valley Snow Wheel' (W).

Others: 'Firewheel' (R), 'Fluffy' (Y), 'Gertrude' (P), 'Jackstraw' (Y), 'Lavender Ostrich' (P), 'Lone Star' (W), 'Whisp of Pink' (P), 'White Lace' (W).