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Chrysanthemum coronarium - L.

Chop-Suey Greens

Author	L.	Botanical references	50, 200
Family	Compositae	Genus	Chrysanthemum
Synonyms
Known Hazards	None known
Range	S. Europe.
Habitat	Cultivated ground and waste places[50].
Edibility Rating	3 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	2 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

Annual growing to 1.2m.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats

Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Flowers; Leaves.

Young shoots and stems - raw or cooked[34, 46, 61, 105, 116]. Strongly aromatic[183, 200]. Flowers - raw[116]. Blanched briefly and added to salads[183]. The centre of the flower is bitter so only the petals are normally used[206].

Composition

Figures in grams (g) or miligrams (mg) per 100g of food.

Leaves (Dry weight)

• 292 Calories per 100g
• Water: 0%
• Protein: 27.7g; Fat: 4.6g; Carbohydrate: 50.8g; Fibre: 13.8g; Ash: 16.9g;
• Minerals - Calcium: 969mg; Phosphorus: 523mg; Iron: 38.5mg; Magnesium: 0mg; Sodium: 1631mg; Potassium: 3938mg; Zinc: 0mg;
• Vitamins - A: 49mg; Thiamine (B1): 1.38mg; Riboflavin (B2): 2.92mg; Niacin: 9.23mg; B6: 0mg; C: 415mg;
• Reference: []
• Notes: 

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

Aromatic; Bitter; Expectorant; Purgative; Stomachic; VD.

The leaves are expectorant and stomachic[218]. In conjunction with black pepper it is used in the treatment of gonorrhoea[240]. The flowers are aromatic, bitter and stomachic[240]. They are used as a substitute for camomile (Chamaemelum nobile)[240]. The bark is purgative, it is used in the treatment of syphilis[240].

Other Uses

Repellent.

Possibly a good companion plant, protecting neighbouring plants from caterpillars etc[Gardener's World, 28/04/89]. There is a report that secretions from the roots can be effective in controlling nematodes in the soil, but this has not been substantiated[206].

Cultivation details

Succeeds in ordinary garden soil[1], but it prefers a well-drained fertile soil in full sun[200, 206]. It will tolerate light shade in the summer[206]. Tolerates a pH in the range 5.2 to 7.5. Plants do not grow well at temperatures above 25°c, tending to become bitter in hot weather[206]. Plants withstand light frosts[206]. Whilst this species is often grown as an ornamental in the West, in the Orient the variety C. coronarium spatiosum L.H.Bailey is comonly cultivated as a vegetable[200]. This variety is treated separately. There are many named varieties[183]. It takes 4 - 5 weeks from sowing the seed to the first harvest when plants are grown on the cut and come again principle[206]. Plants often self-sow when they are well-sited and the soil is disturbed by hoeing etc[K].

Propagation

Seed - surface-sow in spring to early autumn in situ. The seed usually germinates within 10 - 18 days at 15°c[206]. Successional sowings can be made at intervals of a few weeks in order to ensure a constant supply of young plants[206]. Autumn sowings succeed in mild areas[164]. An autumn sowing under cover will often supply leaves all winter[206].

Cultivars

No entries have been made for this species as yet.

Links

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[34] Harrison. S. Wallis. M. Masefield. G. The Oxford Book of Food Plants. Oxford University Press 1975
Good drawings of some of the more common food plants from around the world. Not much information though.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[50] ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964
An immense work in 6 volumes (including the index). The standard reference flora for europe, it is very terse though and with very little extra information. Not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[116] Brooklyn Botanic Garden Oriental Herbs and Vegetables, Vol 39 No. 2. Brooklyn Botanic Garden 1986
A small booklet packed with information.

[164] Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan. 1990
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Yuccas, one on Sagebrush (Artemesia spp) and another on Chaerophyllum bulbosum.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[206] Larkcom J. Oriental Vegetables John Murray 1991 ISBN 0-7195-4781-4
Well written and very informative.

[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.

[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

Chrysanthemum coronarium

Angelia Wed Jun 3 2009

I lived in the far east when I was young and this plant is widely used as a vegetable there. It is commonly added to soups and has a herby flavour which is an accquired taste I come to love. A few years ago while holidaying in Japan I came across the seeds in a local garden centre. It grows well in my garden in the northwest of England, does well in a sunny position. It was too precious for me to eat them and I have allowed them to flower. The flower is very pretty and is ornamental itself.

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