26 The Dahlia 



great variety of colours in blooms of plants raised from 

 seed. Probably other insects besides bees visit the 

 Dahlia, but so far as we are aware there is no record 

 of it. 



The Dahlia is regarded as the symbol of " in- 

 stability," because it was introduced to Europe during 

 those great social and political upheavals which 

 culminated in Waterloo. But may it not with equal 

 propriety be taken as a type of instability because of 

 its great variability, and the readiness with which it 

 lends itself to producing new varieties through the 

 agency and ingenuity of the florist. In the " Double " 

 all the florets, or nearly all, are developed into con- 

 spicuous rays. There can be little doubt that the 

 changed conditions under which the plant is cultivated 

 by gardeners has much to do with this variability. 

 Many plants, however, when cultivated under similar 

 conditions do not show the same readiness to sport in 

 so many directions. It is owing to this changeable 

 character that the plant has become so deservedly 

 popular. An enormous number of varieties are 

 already in the market, and there seems to be no 

 limit to them. New ones appear every year. This 

 naturally leads us to ask, " Have all these varieties of 

 ' Single/ ' Double,' ' Pompon,' and ' Cactus,' been raised 

 from a single wild species ? " Evidently so. Some 

 authorities are inclined to regard the two or three 

 wild varieties as separate species, but strong doubts 

 seem to be entertained regarding this, as their dis- 

 tinctive characters are not permanent enough. At 

 first sight one would be inclined to think the " Cactus " 

 varieties had been developed from a different species 

 because their foliage is more broken up, the primary 



