Plant
Dahlia
Dahlia (genus)
Also known as: Dahlia
A genus of around 40 species of tuberous perennial flowering plants in the daisy family (Asteraceae) — native to Mexico and Central America. The national flower of Mexico. Pre-Columbian Mexica peoples cultivated dahlias for both food (the tubers are edible, though commercially unimportant) and ornament; Spanish colonization carried specimens to Madrid in the late 18th century, from where the species became the foundation of one of the world's largest ornamental-breeding industries. Tens of thousands of named cultivars now exist.
Scientific
Dahlia (family Asteraceae) is a genus of ~40 species, all native to the Americas — primarily Mexico, with a few species extending into Central America. The genus was named for the Swedish botanist Anders Dahl in the 1790s, after the first plants were shipped from Mexico to the Royal Botanical Garden in Madrid.
The dramatic cultivar diversity of garden dahlias — single, decorative, pompon, cactus, waterlily, [[anemone|anemone]], collerette, and many other named flower forms — emerged primarily through 19th-century European breeding work, much of it done in Belgium and the Netherlands.
Tubers are the storage organ; commercial propagation is by tuber division. Hardy in mild climates; in cold winters tubers are lifted, stored over winter, and replanted in spring.
Cultural
Pre-Columbian Mexica cultivation: the species was grown by Aztec gardeners for ornamental display and as a food crop (tubers were eaten, similar to potato). Specifically named in Nahuatl texts as acocoxochitl (“water-pipe flower,” for hollow stems used as water tubes).
The dahlia is the national flower of Mexico — officially designated in 1963 by President Adolfo López Mateos. The species is a symbol of Mexican national identity in much the same way that the [[rose]] is for England or the [[tulip]] for the Netherlands.
European introduction (1789, Madrid Royal Botanical Garden) was followed within decades by breeding programs across Western Europe. By the 1830s the dahlia had become one of the principal flowers of the European ornamental industry. The modern global breeding industry maintains tens of thousands of named cultivars; new ones are registered annually with the various national dahlia societies.
See also
Auto-generated from this entry’s typed relations: frontmatter, grouped by relation type so the editorial signal isn’t flattened.
- Shares approach with: [[rose]] · [[tulip]]
- Member of: [[plants]]
Sources
- Wikipedia — Dahlia
- American Dahlia Society materials
A plant entry in the 0mn1.one [[directory]].
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General
shares approach with
- Zinnia auto-linked via shared tag: asteraceae
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