''Chrysanthemum indicum'' is a flowering plant commonly called Indian chrysanthemum, within the family

Asteraceae Asteraceae () is a large family (biology), family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the Order (biology), order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchi ...

and genus ''

Chrysanthemum Chrysanthemums ( ), sometimes called mums or chrysanths, are flowering plants in the Asteraceae family. They are native to East Asia and northeastern Europe. Most species originate from East Asia, and the center of diversity is in China. Co ...

''.

Description

''Chrysanthemum indicum'' grows up to tall and across. It usually blooms from August to October, producing yellow or white flowers and yellow pollen.

Distribution and habitat

It grows outside under sunlight with moist soil. It can tolerate light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The soil can be

acidic An acid is a molecule or ion capable of either donating a proton (i.e. hydrogen cation, H+), known as a Brønsted–Lowry acid, or forming a covalent bond with an electron pair, known as a Lewis acid. The first category of acids are the ...

, neutral, or

alkaline In chemistry, an alkali (; from the Arabic word , ) is a basic salt of an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal. An alkali can also be defined as a base that dissolves in water. A solution of a soluble base has a pH greater than 7.0. The ...

.http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Chrysanthemum+indicum (Moul., n.d.)

Cultivation

''Chrysanthemum indicum'' is a plant of the

temperate zone In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (approximately 23.5° to 66.5° N/S of the Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ra ...

but it can be grown successfully outside the area such as in tropical areas as it is often cultivated in Southeast Asia with moist soil (pH around 6.5) in sunny weather. It can handle temperatures down to . Seeds can be sowed between the range of August to October. It usually starts to grow in 10 to 18 days at .

Uses

The flower heads are pickled in vinegar. The flowers can be used to make drinks such as

chrysanthemum tea Chrysanthemum tea is a flower-based infusion beverage made from the chrysanthemum flowers of the species '' Chrysanthemum morifolium'' or ''Chrysanthemum indicum'', which are most popular throughout East and Southeast Asia. First cultivated in ...

, and the young leaves can also be steeped or cooked. The petals can also be blanched for use in salads and other dishes.

References

indicum Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{asteroideae-stub