Chrysanthemums, called mums or chrysanths are native to Asia and northeastern Europe.
Chrysanthemum comes from Greek word 'Chrys' meaning golden (the color of the original flower), and 'anthemon', meaning flower.
Chrysanthemums were first cultivated in China as a flowering herb as far back as the 15th century BC. These flowers are commonly known as Sevantige in Kannada, Chamanthi in Telugu and Samanthipoo in Tamil.
The Chrysanthemum flower symbolizes fidelity, optimism, joy and long life. Chrysanthemum blooms come in 140 varieties of shapes and sizes and also in a wide range of colors. Chrysanthemum flavored tea is very popular and is used as a relaxant.