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Chrysanthemum Classification

Chrysanthemum Classification
All Chrysanthemums are divided into groups, dependent on their colour, type, bloom size and flowering time. This is known as classification and, if you are exhibiting your blooms, it is important to ensure that you show them in the
correct class.

There are six main colour categories: Bronze, Pink, Purple, Red,
Yellow and Salmon, which can also be either Light or Deep. The other groups are White, Cream and Other Colours, bringing the total number of possible
colours to 21. Type refers to the arrangement of petals on the flower and the shape of the bloom, and is often referred to as the 'section', for example,
Reflexed or Incurved. Size is either small, medium or large and, for the purpose of classification, flowering time is divided into either September (Early),
October (Mid) or November (Late). Each of these criteria is represented by
either a number or letter, therefore, each variety can be described by a short code, which indicates its characteristics.

For example: Joyce Frieda (pictured above) is coded 13bY. The number (13) refers to the
flowering time and type or section - '1' being mid-season flowering and '3'
signifying an incurved bloom. The lower case letter (b) is the size of bloom, in this case medium, and the upper case letter (Y) shows the colour, which is
yellow.

The table below gives all the various sections and explains the divisions within them.


Full Explanation.

Natural Flowering Time

Type November October September
Large Exhibition Section 1 n/a n/a
Medium Exhibition Section 2 n/a n/a
Incurved Section 3 a b c Section 13 a b c Section 23 a b c
Reflexed Section 4 a b c Section 14 a b c Section 24 a b c
Intermediate Section 5 a b c Section 15 a b c Section 25 a b c
Anemone Section 6 a b c  not applicable Section 26 a b 
Singles Section 7 a b c  Section 17 a b c  Section 27 a b 
Pompons Section 8 a b  Section 18 a b  Section 28 a b 
Sprays (See notes) Section 9 abcdef  Section 19 abcdef  Section 29 abcdef 
Spiders, Spoons, Quills Section 10 a b c  not applicable not applicable
Any other types Section 11 Section 20 Section 30
Charms, Cascades Section 12 a b  Not applicable not applicable
Large October Flowering not applicable Section 16 not applicable
Garden Charms not applicable not applicable Section 22 abcdef
Explanatory notes:
Sprays and Garden Charms have the following sub sections
a - anemone
b - pompons
c - reflexed
d - singles
e - intermediate
f - spiders, spoons, quills (single or double)
    and any other type

Spiders, Spoons Quills
a - Spiders
b - Quills
c - Spoons

Pompons come in  two types
a - True poms (perfect ball of hard florets)
b - semi poms (half sphere with flat base)

Charms and Cascades (section 12)
a - represents Charms
b - represents Cascades

All other Sections
a - represents large flowered
b - represents medium flowered
c - represents small flowered



Our thanks to Paul Barlow for permission to use his information.