Glebionis coronaria Seeds | Garland Chrysanthemum
LATIN NAME: Glebionis coronaria
COMMON NAME: Garland Chrysanthemum
Plant Profile
Garland Chrysanthemum is a fast annual of the daisy family, native to the Mediterranean but grown as a vegetable almost entirely in East Asia. It makes a rosette of deeply cut, feathery leaves that are ready to pick in five or six weeks, and if left unpicked it bolts to a metre of yellow-and-white daisies.
In Chinese kitchens it is tong hao, in Japanese shungiku, and in both it is wilted briefly in stir-fries, dipped in hotpot broth, or added raw to salads in small quantity. The flavour is distinctive, herbal and slightly bitter, and cooks either seek it out or leave it alone. The rosette sits close to the ground and regrows from a low growing point after cutting, which is why one sowing can be picked over two or three times.
Science & Biotechnology
The species was moved from Chrysanthemum to Glebionis when molecular work split the old catch-all genus, taking the crown daisies with the marigold relatives. Its leaves are rich in carotenoids, and its distinctive taste comes from a set of aromatic compounds that also deter most pests, which is part of why the crop needs little spraying.
If the plants are allowed to flower, the seeds set freely and shed within a fortnight, so seed savers bag a head or two and cut them as the first seeds drop. Trials in Japan and China have selected heat-tolerant lines for summer production, and seed of these selections has replaced older stock in much of the trade.
Uses & Benefits
Sow it in short rows every few weeks from spring to late summer and cut whole rosettes or pick leaf by leaf; the plant is too fast and short-lived for a single long harvest. Late sowings bolt quickly in heat, so most growers keep it for the cooler ends of the season.
Left to flower, it is a cheerful daisy for the late border and a nectar plant for late butterflies, and the petals are edible as a garnish. The seed is also sold for sprouting in some markets, and the young flower stems can be cut for a quick, aromatic garnish. Sown thickly in a shallow tray, it also works as a cut-and-come-again micro-green, ready with the first pair of true leaves in under three weeks.
Growing from Seed
Sow the seed a centimetre deep in drills in soil that has been recently manured, and water the row well; germination takes under a week in cool ground.
Thin to ten or fifteen centimetres for leaf crops and keep the bed evenly moist, since dry soil pushes the plants to bolt.
For pot growing, use a deep container and ordinary multipurpose compost, and sow fortnightly for a steady supply of young leaves through the cool months. A light shade cloth over midsummer sowings keeps them in leaf for a week or two longer before they run to flower.
Our Take
A five-week green for stir-fries and hotpot, with the bonus of late daisies if a row is left unpicked. Sow little and often.
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