THE DAHLIA 337 



yellow of variabilis, together with the white and 

 crimson of certain other species, form the basis 

 of the coloration of all the cultivated varieties. 



And as to size of stalk, whereas the original 

 species rises to a height of seven or eight feet, 

 there are dwarfed cultivated races that are only 

 twelve to eighteen inches high. 



In habit, there is a corresponding range of 

 variation, some cultivated species requiring a 

 large amount of moisture, whereas others thrive 

 in a dry soil. Even the seed is of altered shape, 

 and the time of blooming, which in the early part 

 of the nineteenth century was said to be from 

 September to November, has been so extended 

 that some of the modified dwarfed forms are now 

 in full flower in June. 



In quite recent years a type of dahlia has 

 been introduced in which the petals have a typical 

 and characteristic long, slender, twisted, tapering 

 form. This is known as the cactus dahlia, mostly 

 because of the shape of its flower, and partly 

 perhaps because of the brilliant scarlet color of 

 some varieties. 



The original flower of this type was found in 

 Mexico about 1879, and was named Dahlia 

 Juarezii, after President Juarez, "the Washing- 

 ton of Mexico." The precise origin of the plant 

 is unknown, but it is believed to be a variety of 



