Importance of growing China aster
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Popularity is increasing in and around cities due to its short duration and bewitching colors.
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In India it is widely grown in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Maharashtra.
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It’s accounting for 6 % of the total area and 8.8 % of the total flower production in Karnataka state.
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It can be grown in various agro climate zones.
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It is also suitable for growing as intercrop in coconut gardens and orchards also.
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Cheaply available cut flower.
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It can be mixed with other cut flowers for making bouquets.
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It can be grown by small and marginal farmers.
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Good seed setting and no dormancy.
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Morphology
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It is a half hardy annual, plants are erect with branching habit.
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Plants are erect bearing alternate, broadly ovate or triangular-ovate, irregularly toothed leaves.
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Flowers are solitary. Blooms contain two kinds of florets: ray florets and disc florets. The discs are short and ray florets are long.
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Semi-double or double.
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It has a wide array of varieties and the height ranges from 6 inches to 3 feet.
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They have daisy-like or star-like flower heads (4-6" in diameter) with a yellow center often tall stems.
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Their colors vary from white to creamy yellow, pink, blue, red and purple.
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Floral Biology
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China aster is a self-pollinated crop, approximately 10% of natural crossing
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Flower head consists of both pistillate ray florets and perfect disc florets.
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Normally, the stamens and pistils do not mature simultaneously in the individual flowers.
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Origin and History
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The genus Callistephus derives its name from two Greek words ‘kalistos’ means ‘most beautiful’ and ‘stephos’ means ‘a crown’ referring to the flowers.
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Cassini described the China aster as Callistephus hortensis. Linnaeus as Aster chinensis and Nees subsequently changed this name to Callistephus chinensis.
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It was introduced in Europe during 1731 and then spread to different part of the world.
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The first change in the flower type was the development of the central florets, which led to quelled flowers.
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The German developed the German aster or double cultivar.
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Comet types introduced in 1886 replaced the quelled types.
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Last modified: Tuesday, 12 June 2012, 1:18 PM