Glebionis coronaria

Annual of the Asteraceae family, the garden chrysanthemum or crowned chrysanthemum is native to the Mediterranean basin, where it grows spontaneously in cultivated fields, wastelands, roadsides, and disturbed grounds on light, well-drained soils, from sea level to the hills.

It forms upright and branched plants from 30 to 80 cm, with tender green foliage deeply cut, pinnate with narrow segments, slightly aromatic when crushed. The flower heads are solitary at the top of the branches, with bright yellow to golden yellow ligules, surrounding a darker central disc; some forms have bicolored ligules, pale yellow at the tip and darker at the base.

In its natural habitat, its flowering extends from March to June depending on latitude and altitude. It is capable, under favorable conditions, of covering vast expanses with a bright yellow, as evidenced by the hills of the Mediterranean rim in spring.

Widely cultivated in East Asia, notably in Japan and China, as a vegetable plant, its young leaves and shoots are consumed cooked or in salads. In ornamental cultivation, it is sown directly in place in spring or autumn under mild climates, in full sun, in any draining soil. It reseeds itself spontaneously from year to year.