The History of Dahlias
Whether you are new to Dahlias or a life long grower, I thought I’d share with you the fascinating and long history of this beautiful flower.
The History of the Dahlia Flower
The history of the dahlia flower is rich and fascinating. These colorful blooms are related to sunflowers and have a long history that spans continents.
Read on to learn more about where dahlias originated, who discovered and cultivated them, and how they are used today.
Where did Dahlias originate?
The history of the dahlia flower is believed to have started in Mexico and Central America, where it was cultivated by the Aztecs.
The flower later spread to Europe after Spanish botanist Mariano Lagasca sent some seeds to Spain, where they were named after great Swedish botanist Anders Dahl.
Dahlia characteristics
Dahlias are a genus of plants that are part of the sunflower family. The genus includes about 36 recognized species, with thousands of cultivars and hybrids being grown today.
Dahlia flowers vary in size, shape and color. The genus includes annuals, biennials and perennials. There are also many wild species that grow from Mexico to South America.
The Dahlia is a member of the Asteraceae family (also known as Compositae), which includes daisies, sunflowers and chrysanthemums.
Most dahlia flower heads consist of ray florets and disc florets with 5 or 10 lobes each. Most dahlias are perennials growing from tubers to heights between 3 ft and 10 ft.
The flower heads have five pointed lobes arranged like a star or wheel with one main point atop another smaller point–the whole structure being called a “disc."
They come in many colors: reds, oranges, yellows and whites but can also be bi-colors like yellowish-red patterns on white petals or solid purple petals with black centers.
The history of Dahlias
Because of their popularity and beauty, dahlia flowers have been cultivated around the world for over 200 years.
Although their exact origin is still unknown, we do know that they came from Mexico. In 1804, a German botanist named Alexander von Humboldt first saw dahlia flowers in Mexico.
He sent several specimens of the plant back to Europe where collectors started growing them in greenhouses.
Spanish botanist Mariano Lagasca eventually succeeded in growing dahlia flowers in Spain, and sent some to the Royal Spanish Horticultural Society in Madrid, who named them after great Swedish botanist Anders Dahl.
The first dahlias were grown as an ornamental plant because of their striking colors and petals; later on people began eating them as well!
How Dahlias are used today
Although dahlias are native to Mexico and Central America, today they are popular around the world.
Dahlias have been cultivated since Aztec times as ornamentals for their showy flowers and have become extremely popular as annuals for summer bedding schemes in Europe, North America and New Zealand.
Today they're known as an important part of summertime bouquets and flower arrangements because of their striking appearance and color.
Conclusion
Now that you know more about the history of the dahlia flower, try your hand at growing them!
These tuberous perennial plants are easy to grow and care for, and will add color to anywhere you plant them.
