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dahliaColumbia Encyclopedia entry: dahlia
Dahliadäl'yə, dăl'– [for Anders Dahl, 1751–89, Swedish botanist and pupil of Linnaeus], any plant of the genus Dahlia of the family Asteraceae (aster family), tuberous-rooted perennials native to Mexico and Guatemala and widely cultivated in gardens. Most of the several thousand horticultural varieties have been developed from the single species (D. pinnata) of garden dahlia introduced into cultivation in England c.1800, but other species and hybrids, e.g., the cactus dahlia (D. juarezii) are also grown. Dahlias are stout and rather woody plants, some species reaching the stature of small trees, with late-blooming flowers in a wide range of colors and sizes. The tubers of the garden dahlia were one source of fructose, used by diabetics. Dahlias are classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Asterales, family Asteraceae.
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Wikipedia search results for: Dahlia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dahlia is a genus of bushy, tuberous, perennial plants native to Mexico, Central America, and Colombia. There are at least 36 species of dahlia. Dahlia hybrids are commonly grown as garden plants. The Aztecs gathered and cultivated the dahlia for food, ceremonies, as well as decorative purposes, and the long woody stem of one variety was used for small pipes.
Dahlias are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Angle Shades, Common Swift, Ghost Moth and Large Yellow Underwing.
The dahlia is named after Swedish 18th-century botanist Anders Dahl . In German the dahlia was known during most of the 19th century as...more »
Columbia Encyclopedia search results: dahlia
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