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Chrysanthemums & Dahlias: What’s The Difference?
So, with that said, – chrysanthemums & dahlias: What’s the difference?
Chrysanthemums are native to China, where they have been used in medicine and art for thousands of years. With the Silk Road and trade all across Europe and Asia, chrysanthemums have been well known in Europe from earliest times.
Dahlias are native to Mexico, and they didn’t become known worldwide until the Spanish conquests that started in the 1500s.

Eventually the Dahlia got its name honouring the Swedish botanist Andreas Dahl (1751–89).
So what were dahlias called before Andreas Dahl?
The Aztecs called them cocoxochitl, which means ‘water cane flower’ because the hollow stems hold water.
In Spain they called them Mexican Flower or Mexican Aster because dahlias were native to Mexico.
In Germany and Eastern Europe they called them Georgina, after the botanist Johann Gottlieb Georgi, who studied them. The name persisted for a while even after Dahlia became the official name.
Meanwhile, while you are here reading this I want to mention the photo. We are a greeting card company, and if our salmon pink chrysanthemum takes your fancy, you can see it by clicking Chrysanthemum Greeting Card or by clicking on the picture of the flower.
What Are The Differences Between Chrysanthemums & Dahlias?
Look at the illustrations. The biggest difference is the leaves.
Chrysanthemums have delicate, lacy looking leaves with rounded lobes. And the leaves are dull and dusty looking.
Dahlia leaves are ovate like a broad spear head, with pointed tips and serrated edges. And the leaves are glossy.

Without Seeing The Leaves It is Difficult To Tell Chrysanthemums & Dahlias Apart
Without seeing the leaves and the stems it can be very difficult to tell the two apart, at least for some of the varieties. The flower in the photograph here is a chrysanthemum. I know that because I photographed it. And I cropped the photo from the full frame and I have the original photo showing the leaves typical of chrysanthemums. If I hadn’t seen the leaves it would be hard to say whether it is a chrysanthemum or a dahlia.
If I could smell the flower I may be able to tell because many chrysanthemums have strong fragrances, and most dahlias do not.
There are very many varieties of both flowers. Chrysanthemums have been cultivated for more than 3,000 years in China and Japan, with highly developed techniques for creating new varieties. The Japanese have even created bonsai chrysanthemums.
I explained about the origin of the name of the ‘new’ plant, the Dahlia, which is not to say that the naming of the plant in its native Mexico counts for nothing. Far from it, and every nation and every culture and community deserves recognition as a valued member of the family of man. I am talking only about the names of the plants as we in England know them.
Which leads us to ask what the origin of the name of the chrysanthemum is – the plant that has been known in Europe since earliest times?
The Origin Of Name Of The Chrysanthemum
The original colour of the chrysanthemum is a golden yellow. We know from the name. The first part of the name comes from the Ancient Greek word chrysos meaning golden. The end of the word comes from the Greek for flower – ‘anthemon‘.
Chrysanthemum and Dahlia Leaves
And there we have it. In a nutshell, the leaves of the chrysanthemum are many lobed and rounded while the dahlia’s leaves are more like a spear with serrated edges. The chrysanthemum has a fragrance, while dahlias generally do not. And if you cannot see the leaves nor smell the flowers then it can be very difficult to tell the two plants apart.
But seeing this plant with its spear-like dark glossy leaves it is easy to tell it is a dahlia.
And in the next photo of just a couple of leaves it is easy to see that they are chrysanthemums leaves.


If you are interested in growing either of these flowers, take a look at this article on growing dahlias.