DAHLIA 



THE BULB BOOK 



DAHLIA 



through the then Marchioness of Bute; 

 and afterwards by Lady Holland in 

 180-1. The plants, however, were lost, 

 and it w^as not till 1815 that the Dahlia 

 was again brought to England from 

 France. 



Fio. 116. 



Before referring to 

 Dahlias, it may be 

 brief descriptions of 

 species. 



D. arborea {D. anemonwjlora). — This 

 species grows 9 to 15 ft. high, and 

 has large long-stalked leaves divided 

 twice-pinnately into oblong-elliptic, 

 pointed leaflets, the leaf -stalks form- 

 ing a kind of cushion at the base 

 round the stem. The soft lilac 

 flower-heads are about 4 ins. across, 

 having lilac or yellow tubular florets 

 in the centre. (Mauiul, Hot. 11,88; 

 Gard. Chron. 1883, xix. 80, f. 60.) 



This species is too tender for the 

 open air, except, perhaps, in the very 

 mildest parts of the Kingdom. It 



should therefore be grown in a cool 

 greenhouse. 



D. coccinea {D. hidentifolia ; Georg- 

 iiia Cervantesii). — A species 3 to 4 ft. 

 high, with roughish, pinnately divided 

 leaves, and flower-heads having scarlet 

 ray-florets, and yellow disc ones {Bot. 

 Mag. t. 762). 



This is one of the species from 

 which the modern Garden Dahlias 

 have been derived. 



D. excelsa. ^ — A tree-like species, 

 growing 15 ft. high and upwards, 

 having very thick stems, more or less 

 woody towards the base, and furnished 

 with twice-pinnately divided leaves, 

 about 2^ ft. long and about 2 ft. 

 broad. The pale lilac-purple flower- 

 heads are only about 4 ins. across. 

 {Gartenfl. t. 861.) 



This species is best grown in a cool 

 greenhouse. 



D. gracilis. — This species grows 4 to 

 5 ft. high, and is graceful and distinct 

 in habit, the smooth leaves being 

 twice-pinnately divided into oval 

 leaflets coarsely toothed on the 

 margins. The flower-heads are bright 

 orange-scarlet, appearing in summer 

 and autumn, and producing seeds 

 freely in the British Islands. There 

 are many varieties, varying in colour 

 from pale chrome-yellow to deep 

 crimson scarlet. 



D. imperialis. — This remarkable 

 species attains a height of 10 to 12 

 ft., being furnished with large hand- 

 some leaves. The drooping bell- 

 shaped flower-heads appear about the 

 end of September and October in 

 large panicles, the ray-florets being 

 white tinted with lilac and streaked 

 with blood-red at the base. Owing 

 to the lateness of blossoming, the 

 flowers can only come to perfection in 

 a greenhouse, where they will often 

 ripen seeds freely. {Bot. Mag. t. 

 5183.) 



D. Juarezi. — This si^ecies grows 3 



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