Leaves: Key Difference of Asters and Mums

What’s the difference between aster and mums? Is there any easy way to distinguish the two apart? Can you tell the differences between mums and marigold? Very easy, most of us will answer. What about French vs non-French marigold? I think it’s not that hard too. But what about chrysanthemums and aster? Can you distinguish mums and aster?

I’ve read many website about the differences between the two. But most of them don’t give any significant explanation.  Instead they write something else like how to take care of your aster, or how to plant mums’ seed. So how to tell them apart?

By the Flower? 

Naturally, we can distiguish mums and aster by their flower. Overall, aster has simpler flower while mums has more varieties in their flowers’ shapes. We can found pompom mums, spider mums, etc, while aster generally has star shape flower (thus its name).

But today, a lot of botanists and gardeners have created thousands of hybrids on both plants. Right now, sometimes we find a pompom mums-like aster. So I think observing both of their flower can be useful, but other times, it will be difficult.  

What about Listening to the Taxonomists?

Let’s look at two classifications below to find the difference between aster and mums.

Aster

1. Kingdom: Plantae 
2. Clade: Tracheophytae 
3. Clade: Angiospermae
4. Clade: Asterid
5. Order: Asterales
6. Family: Asteraceae 
7. Genus: Aster
8. Species: Aster sp.

Mums or Chrysanthemums

1. Kingdom: Plantae 
2. Clade: Tracheophytae 
3. Clade: Angiospermae
4. Clade: Asterid
5. Order: Asterales
6. Family: Asteraceae 
7. Genus: Chrysanthemum
8. Species: Chrysanthemum sp.

Yes. It’s very easy if we are just presented with above classifications. We can even understand why both plants look very similar! Well, because both are Asteraceae family. But what if we are presented with a real plants and ask to distinguish the two? How we distinguish mums and aster, then?

The Leaves is the Key Differences between Aster and Mums

Yup. I think this is the easiest way to tell the two plants apart. Why? Because botanists and garderners that created thousands of this ornamental flowers usually “don’t care” that much about their leaves. They didn’t modify their leaves. I think they consider the leaves as “okay.” And it’s understandable since both plants were famous of their beautiful flower, not their leaves.

Anyway, aster’s leaves usually have simpler shape than mums. On the other hand, mums has more complex shape leaves. If you touch them, you can tell too that mums’ leave is thicker than aster.  

Just look at this picture below. Some of chrysanthemums are indeed has slim leaves. But overall the shape is look alike.

Other Point Distinguishing Mums from Aster

Okay, now we already know the key difference between aster and mums. Other aspects that can be used to distinguish them are their origin. 

1. Aster was a Eurasian plant. This plant grows across Europe and Asia. There are many species of aster spread across this region like Aster breweri, Aster chezuensis, Aster cordifolius, and many more. 
2. Chrysanthemums on the other hand is specifically an Asian flower. Mums was a japan national flower. The Japanese even made bonsai with their mums. The Chinese started to use this flower since 15 SM. Though today, both plant can be found across the globe.