THE BOTANICAL APOTHECARY
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The Story Behind Snow Chrysanthemum
Snow Chrysanthemum carries a botanical story that reaches much further than its familiar name suggests.
Known botanically as Coreopsis tinctoria, this flowering plant belongs to the Asteraceae family and is a species of Coreopsis rather than a true chrysanthemum. Native to North America, the plant travelled far beyond its original range and eventually became closely associated with the botanical tea traditions of Xinjiang, China.
There, the dried flower heads became known as Snow Chrysanthemum, or Xue Ju, and are also associated with the name Kunlun Snow Chrysanthemum. Over time, the flowers found a place in local botanical infusion traditions, giving the plant a new cultural identity far from the landscape in which it originated.
The dried flowers themselves retain much of their distinctive character, with curled golden-orange petals, naturally dark centres and subtle variations from flower to flower. When placed in hot water, they slowly unfurl and release their colour into the cup.
It is this journey that makes Snow Chrysanthemum particularly fascinating to us: a North American Coreopsis that travelled across continents, acquired a new name and became woven into an entirely different botanical tea tradition.
We carefully pack the whole dried flowers to preserve their natural form, colour and botanical character. For us, Snow Chrysanthemum represents one of the most interesting things about working with plants — discovering how a single flower can carry stories from different landscapes, cultures and generations.
