Birth Flower (November)

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Chrysanthemum

Cheerfulness and Optimism.
Long Life and Happiness.

In 500 BC, Confucius wrote the Chrysanthemums are very ancient plants. T’ao Ming- Yang, the ancient Chinese botanist, developed many new strains of the Chrysanthemum. People came from afar to view T’ao Ming-Yang’s flowers because they were so beautiful. T’ao Ming-Yang’s village soon became known as the City of Chrysanthemums.

In the not too distant past, Chrysanthemums were the favorites of the Nobility in China, and common people were not allowed to grow them.

A Japanese legend relates the story of the birth of the Empire of Japan. Twelve young maidens and twelve young men set out from China to find the “herb of youth,” which they believed kept people eternally young. In order to trade for this herb, they carried with them baskets of chrysanthemums. When their ship wrecked near an uninhabited island, they swam ashore and planted the chrysanthemums. It was the first introduction of chrysanthemums to Japan, and indeed, the imperial coat of arms of Japan shows a golden chrysanthemum with sixteen petals.