446 



DAHLIA 



about 1881, and for several years thereafter several 

 hundred forms were kept distinct, and they were made 

 the chief feature of the European shows. It is exceed- 

 ingly interesting to get seeds of wild Dahlias from 

 Mexico. They give flowers like the star-shaped one in 

 Pig. 663. When the Dahlia first came into cultivation 

 its rays were relatively long, slender, acuminate, 

 notched at the end, and with such wide spaces between 

 the tips of the rays as to give the flower the stellate 

 appearance seen in Fig. 663. In the course of the evo- 

 lution of the single type, the gardeners retained the 

 most regular and symmetrical forms. Single Dahlias 

 with always and only 8 rays were preserved. The rays 

 of Dahlias became broader and rounder, as in Fig. 660, 

 until finally in pedigree varieties they closed up the 

 vacant spaces, and the flower presents to the eye one 

 unbroken picture— one concentrated impression of a 

 single color. The same mental ideals have produced the 



rose-petaled Geraniums and the shouldered Tulips. ; 

 a high bred single Dahlia there are no minute teeth or 

 notches at the tips of the rays. 



In the wild Dahlia, no matter what the color of the 

 ray may be, the base of the ray is usually yellow; some- 

 times this yellow is very ob,iectionable." Two different 

 policies have been pur.sued in the matter— suppression 

 and encouragement. Most of the single Dahlias of high 

 pedigree have rays of uniform coloration with no sec- 

 ondary color at the base, but a few have a distinct ring 

 of color at the Ijase, often called an "eye or crown," 

 which is sunH-tiiii.-s yellow and rarely red or some other 

 color, r^ually tii. rays ,,f a single Dahlia are spread 

 out horizi'iiially. ^uuni inies they bend back, and rarely 

 they bend iinvunls aiul form a cup-shaped flower. These 

 three forms can doubtless be separated and fixed dur- 

 ing those periods when the interest in the Single type 

 warrants it. 



Single Dahlias are likely to lose some of their rays 

 after a day or two in a vase. In cutting them it is well 

 to select the younger flowers. A vigorous shake often 

 makes the older ones drop their rays. It is an easy 

 matter to keep the seeds from forming and save the 

 strength of the plant for the production of flowers. 



DAHLIA 



There are three modem types of minor importance,— 

 the Single Cactus, Pompon Cactus and Tom Thumb. 

 The Single Cactus type differs from the common single 

 type, in having rays with recurved margins, which give 

 a free and spirited appearance to the fls. Instead of 

 spreading out horizontally, the rays often curve inward, 

 forming a cup-shaped flower. This type originated with 

 E. J. Lowe, Chepstow, Eng., was developed by Dobbie 

 & Co. about is;n, and was first disseminiitcd in 1894. 

 The Sincli- <':..-fir-' T):.!iii:r- nre v-rv ji ^v. I, intfTPsting 

 and pretty I'l . , . - 1... , i i i p ,.,,, .,..,,, f,,rm to 



Pompon i^ i!:i> '. li.i . !■: . ■-):i-;- and Show 



types. Tl... «ri;.,- h,, . -.■.■;, >.,,!;, l..,, »aii.l„,s vf this 



type, "Ponipcn Cai-tus" aii.l "Little Car-tus." Thev have 

 small fls., with flat, reflexed rays. The Tom Thumb 

 type is a miniature race of round-rayed single Dahlias, 

 which grow from 12-18 inches high, and are used for 

 bedding. The type originated in England with T. W. 

 Girdlestone, and was developed and introduced by Cheal 

 & Sons. The "green" Dahlia can hardly be called an 

 important type, but it is an interesting abnormal 

 form, in which the rays are partially or wholly sup- 

 pressed, aii.l thi- clii.f f.atiiic- ,.f intrlist is a confused 

 mass of Ki-.-i'ii stuir, iM.t r.-srnil.lini,' ii.-fals at all, but 

 evidently a iiiultipliaaiiMn.it' tiic nutai- niNulucral scales, 

 which, in tli.- Dahlia, an- '^rrm, l.-afy lira.-ts. This form 

 is essentially unstable and unhealthy. It can never be 

 propagated extensively. This freak was pictured as 

 long ago as 1845 in G.C., p. 626. Several different varie- 

 ties have probably degenerated into this condition. See 

 F.S. 19:1994. Another in.,i,resting variation, which 

 hardly ranks in present importance with the 9 types 

 contrasted below, is the laciniated form, which makes a 

 very pretty and novel though rather formal effect. 

 Examples are Germania Nova, Mrs. A. W. Tait and its 

 yellow variety among large double forms, and White 

 Aste-r among the Pompons. In these cases, the notches 

 at the tips of the rays, instead of being minute and in- 

 conspicuous, are deepened so much that tlii-v trivn the 

 laciniated effect. At present this form i a , ilal.l. in a 

 very narrow range of colors. It is n ' : , j ,1 jt 



will be an important factor in pro.lia 1 ■ ilir- 



raum-Iike forms. Aiiothi-r form wliiah l.ii'la^ .1. -arip. 

 tion, but is neverth' ]' -- n- r\ .ji-tMiat, is that of (irand 



Duke Alexis. It is la 

 but is perhaps best •■ 

 tion, simply becan < 

 Show type the mo-i 

 hoped that the foi-a 

 peated in all the \r:.. 

 a very flat flower, ai 

 leaving a round hoi. 

 between Grand Duke 



iy])e than any other, 

 I 'actus Hybrid sec- 

 i^abh- to keep the 



Ale^ 



. : (1. ALaaut mwway 

 (■ show or cupped type 

 is an interesting form, the "quilled" Dahlia, a name 

 which is necessary, perhaps, though unfortunate. In 

 A. D. Livoni (which is one of the most popular of all 

 Dahlias, and the nearest approach to a pure pink un- 

 tainted by any suggestion of purple derivation) the rays 

 are rather tightly folded for about two-thirds of their 

 length, leaving a round hole at the tip as in Grand Duke 

 Alexis, but giving a peculiar whorled effect, which 

 plainly shows the spiral arrangement of the successive 

 tiers of rays. Among Pompons, Blumenfalter is an ex- 

 ample of this rosette-like or quilled form, and many 

 colors are Jiroi-urabla. Howcvi-r. tin- word ".)nillcil" usu- 

 ally SUgtrasI - a l-liL- nil..' w nil a llara.l ,1;,, aiina, \'. Ii. leas 



in the form ■ ■ a are 



merely roll-.. : . _, i1,.t 



into a thin, -aama -- IiiLa. r, rhai.- M >-l mil. -a- taut 



variation that has not yet appearerl in the Dahlia, is the 

 wonderful elongation of the disk florets into long, thin, 

 variously colored tubes which have produced such 

 charming effects in the China Aster and have culmi- 

 nated In the marvelous grace of such Chrysanthemums 

 as lora. Northern Lights and Lillian B. Bird. The Dah- 

 lia may not be denied such possibilities, for in G.C. III. 

 20:3.39 (1896) a new Dahlia was described in which the 

 quills are really tubes for two-thirds of their length. 

 May we hope for some striking development of this 

 form within our generation 1 



The main types of Dahlias may perhaps be distin- 

 guished more clearly by the following scheme : 



