Studies on the mother flower carnation: past, present, and future

Carnation (<i>Dianthus caryophyllus</i> L.) is an important global flower crop, with great ornamental and economic value. It has more than 2000 years of cultivation history and profound cultural heritage known as mother flower. Now, although carnation is deeply loved by the majority of consumers because of its rich color and various varieties, the original carnation unique clove flavor has disappeared. Furthermore, our understanding of carnation traits such as flower shape, flower color, flower fragrance, disease resistance, and vase life remains limited. Previous reviews have primarily concentrated on individual aspects of carnation, failing to present a comprehensive overview. In this review, we summarize the recent progress of carnation in these aspects, so as to provide a reference for the future research direction in carnation.