THE CHINESE GREENS - Growing Chinese Vegetables in Your Own Backyard - page 17

Garland chrysanthemum is a native of the lands around the Mediterranean, where
it's known as crown daisy. The Asian countries have taken it as their own, along with
all other chrysanthemums. In China, the chrysanthemum is a symbol of a life of ease
and joviality and is appreciated by the over-30 adults as the symbol of late-blooming
beauty. In Japan, it's the national flower and is used as a stylized decorative element in
Japanese art and architecture. The high regard in which it's held is also shown by the
fact that it is used in one of the dishes served as part of the Japanese tea ceremony.