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HE great present 
day popularity of 
the Dahlia is due 
to its wide range 
in color and form and 
its adaptability to several purposes. In 
color there is scarcely anything to be 
desired, unless it be blue and its re- 
lated shades. As to form, what other 
plant, unless it be the Chrysanthemum, 
shows such diversity, ranging from 
the single eight-petaled flower to the 
extremely double ball-shaped, with all 
sorts of intermediate forms. And what 
could take the place of the Dahlia in 
the garden in late summer and early 
fall, adapted equally well for garden 
decoration, for cut flowers, and for 
exhibition purposes? Is it any wonder 
that there are Dahlia enthusiasts, and 
even organizations to foster the growth 
of the flower? 
As we would naturally expect from 
the appearance of the single flower, the 
Dahlia belongs to the Daisy family, a 
family which includes a large number 
of our important garden flowers. The 
Aster, Cosmos, Coreopsis, Helianthus, 
and many others, including the Chry- 
santhemum, are all members of this 
family. Also, that very com- 
mon weed, the Beggar-tick 
or Stick-tight, is a close 
relative of the Dahlia. 
There are probably ten or 
twelve wild types or species 
of the Dahlia, only six of 
which are of interest to the 
flower lover. These are 
found chiefly in the higher 
parts of Mexico, at an alti- 
tude of 5,000 feet or more 
above sea level: Hence, in 
its natural environment, the 
Dahlia has fairly cool, but 
not cold conditions, also a 
rather dry atmosphere. In 
its native habitat it is per- 
ennial, but it can never be- 
come so in the North, since 
it cannot endure freezing; 
therefore, we need have no 
fear that the Dahlia will 
ever become a weed like the . 
beggar-tick. 
Two of these six species, 
Dahlia imperialis and 
excelsa, are tree-like forms, 
growing to a height of 
twenty feet or more. These 
are said to thrive in South- 
ern California. If desired 
in colder regions they must 
be grown under glass; 
otherwise the plants would 
be injured by frost before 
they had bloomed. 
Dahlia Merckii is worthy 
of note because of the finely 
cut character of its foliage. 
It grows to about four feet 
in height and is more wide- 
Dahlia Devotees, Then and Now 
CLARK LEONARD THAYER 
FOR MORE THAN A HUNDRED YEARS THIS GORGEOUS PLANT HAS 
HELD SWAY, AND NOW FINDS MORE FAVOR THAN EVER— 
A FLOWER FOR THE MILLION 
spreading than most of the other types. 
The flowers are about two inches in 
diameter, chiefly in shades of lilac and 
purple, no reds or yellows being found 
in the wild forms. This species is 
known to have been concerned in the 
production of some of our present day 
varieties. 
Probably many of our good single 
varieties have been obtained from 
Dahlia coccinea. It is a form in which 
the color range seems to be quite re- 
stricted, varying only from scarlet 
through orange to yellow. So far as 
known, no double forms have been de- 
rived from this species. It was the re- 
introduction of this species into England 
about 1880 that restored, to a certain 
extent, the popularity of the Dahlia, at 
that time in a state of decline owing to 
aversion toward the highly developed 
Show and Fancy types. 
Dahlia Juarezii is deserving of sec- 
ond place in importance, since it is the 
parent of the so-called Cactus Dahlia. 
It was called the Cactus Dahlia because 
of the resemblance of the flower in form 
and color to the brilliant crimson- 
flowered Cactus, Heliocerus speciosus 
(formerly Cereus speciossisimus). At 
A Dahlia garden at Hartford, Conn., in which many prize winning blooms are produced 
235 
Ithaca 
pn N.Y 
present, however, the 
name is rather inappro- 
priate, since the color 
range has been so ex- 
tended that it now in- 
cludes practically all of the important, 
well-defined colors that are found in 
the Dahlia. Also, the form has been 
changed to such a great extent that 
there is very little similarity between 
the flowers of the Showy Cactus and 
many varieties of the Cactus Dahlia. 
Dahlia rosea, formerly known as D. 
variabilis, is without doubt the most im- 
portant species to the garden. It was 
from this form that the Show, Fancy, 
and Pompon types have been derived, 
and it is quite certain that it has also 
been connected in one way or another 
with the introduction of other types. 
It is, therefore, safe to assume that a 
very large number, perhaps the majority 
of our garden varieties, can be referred 
to this species. 
Probably the first known description 
of the Dahlia is found in a book by 
Francisco Hernandez on the plants and 
animals of New Spain, published in 
Madrid in 1615. He described and illus- 
trated two forms of a plant, called in 
Mexico the ‘“‘Acocotli,” now 
known to be the Dahlia. 
Nothing more seems to have 
been written concerning the 
Dahlia, or Acocotli, until 
1657, when a description 
and figures, based on the 
work of Hernandez, was in- 
cluded in a book by Vitalis 
Mascardi of Rome. Then 
the Acocotli seems to have 
been unheard of for more 
than a hundred years. 
In 1787, Nicholas Thierry 
de Menonville, a French 
botanist, was sent to Amer- 
ica by Louis XVI to obtain 
the cochineal insect and the 
plant on which it lived. On 
‘his return to France, De 
Menonville published an ac- 
count of his expedition. Of 
the things of interest which 
he saw on his travels, one 
was a plant growing in a 
garden in Guaxaca, “with 
flowers as large as Asters, 
on stems as tall as a man, 
with leaves like those of the 
Elder tree.” This surely 
must have been the Aco- 
cotli, and De Menonville’s 
description of it is the first 
record that we have of the 
Dahlia as a cultivated 
flower. 
The botanical name Dah- 
lia was given to the plant 
in 1789 by Abbé Cavanilles, 
Director of the Royal Gar- 
dens at Madrid; it was so 
named in honor of Professor 
