The 411 on Chrysanthemums
Do you sometimes feel lost when it comes to the many names and varieties of Mums and Poms? You’re not alone!
Chrysanthemums, often shortened to “mums,” is the scientific family these flowers belong to. They are an ancient flower and have been bred and hybridized for hundreds of years. The result is the plethora of bloom types you see today. To make things even more overwhelming, Chrysanthemums are widely bred and highly prized in both the horticulture/landscape design world as well as the cut flower industry. Similar to other highly prized flowers like roses, there are some varieties that are grown for the garden only and are not available in the cut flower market.
All chrysanthemums are classified into 13 categories according to two major attributes-- stem segmentation and petal type. To avoid too much complication, we will only focus on the categories that are often seen in the cut flower industry.
Stem Segmentation
Disbud- One bloom on a single long stem. “Disbud” refers to the process of pinching off the side buds to get a single stem with one large bloom.
Spray- branched stems with multiple smaller blooms. (These are often called “Pompons” or “pomps”) This category includes Daisy poms, buttons poms and cushion poms.
Miniature Spray- branched stems on branched stems with multiple bloom heads that are extra small. This category would include the Santinis- which are considered more of a novelty-type cut flower.
Petal Type
Decorative- These have flat heads with dahlia-like petals that grow outward from the center. Cushion Poms and Cremons would fall into this category. Think of the potted mum plants that you see sold everywhere in the fall for autumn decor.
Incurve- Incurve mums are separated into three distinct categories- regular incurve, irregular incurve, and intermediate incurve. These blooms are large, usually five inches or more across, with many petals that curve into themselves and overlap, to create a mounded head. Football/China Mums and Magnum Mums have this bloom type.
Reflex- like incurve but instead of the florets growing upwards into themselves, these grow out and downwards, creating a round, layered appearance.
Anemone- bloom contains a distinct face that resembles a decorative mum with incurving petals but is surrounded by collar of longer florets. These are also considered a novelty in the cut flower industry.
Spider- Long florets that radiate out to create a spider-like appearance. Fuji mums have a Spider bloom.
Spoon- Long daisy-like petals are tubular with a spatulate tip.
Single- A classic daisy-like bloom. Florist daisies and Rover Mums are considered Single Blooms.
Pompon- Small to medium blooms, one to four inches across. Round globular heads with a concealed center. Button poms and ball disbuds have this type of bloom.
Novelty/Unclassified- bloom types that do not fit into the other categories. Tinsel or “Snowflake Poms” that Derita brings in around Christmas would fall into this category.
There are also “common” names for cut mums used interchangeably in the florist industry. So that our customers know what to order at Derita—here are the main types of cut mums we import:
Daisy Pom - a single-type bloom with a face (dark center) on a spray stem. Daisies come in many colors like white, yellow, lavender, magenta, orange, burgundy, peach, bi-color and dyed novelty varieties. Sold in 5-7 stem bunches.
Button Pom- a Pompon bloom on a spray stem. Like daisies they come in a wide range of colors. Sold in 5-7 stem bunches.
Cushion Pom- a decorative bloom (without a face) on a spray stem.
Viking Pom- a specific variety of daisy that has a dark brown face and yellow petals. Usually sold late summer through the fall.
Santini or Micro Daisy- an anemone or single-type bloom that is held on a miniature spray stem. Derita usually brings these in alongside other mixed novelty poms.
Football Mum- a disbud stem that holds a large regular incurve bloom. Popular in funeral arrangements, Derita usually carries these in white, lavender, and yellow. Sold in 10 stem bunches.
Spider/Fuji Mum- spider-type bloom on a disbud stem offered in many colors. Sold in 10 stem bunches.
Magnum Mum- an extra-large irregular incurve bloom on a disbud stem. The petals are dense in the center and the outer petals fan out to create a skirt on the edges. Often sold in white or lavender/pink. Sold in 10 stem bunches.
Ball Disbud- a Pompon on a disbud stem. Often used as a ball dahlia substitute when dahlias are out of season. Sold in 10 stem bunches.
Cremon- a Decorative or Reflex bloom on a disbud stem. Also often used as dahlia substitutes. They come in many colors. Sold in 10 stem bunches.
Rover Mum- a single-type bloom on a Disbud stem. Derita usually carries a red Rover mum with yellow face and red petals. They are highly seasonal and are usually only available in the fall. Sold in 10 stem bunches.