300 THE FLOWER-GARDEN. [chap. viii. 
excelsa, a specimen of which, in the Liverpool 
Botanic Garden, is now above twenty feet 
high. All the varieties grown in British 
gardens as florists’ flowers, may be divided 
into four kinds, viz. — Dwarfs, Anemone- 
flowered, Ranunculus-flowered, and Globe- 
flowered. The dahlia was first discovered in 
Mexico by Baron Humboldt, in 1789, and 
it was sent by him to Cavaniles, at Madrid, 
who named it in honour of Professor Dahl, 
a Swedish botanist. This name was after¬ 
wards changed to Georgina, in honour of 
a German botanist named Georgi, who 
resided many years in St. Petersburg, in 
consequence of the genus Dalea having 
been previously established by Thunberg. 
As, however, this name is neither spelt nor 
pronounced the same as Dahlia; and as the 
name of Dahlia was given long before that 
of Georgina, the plant is now restored to its 
original appellation. The dahlia was intro¬ 
duced into England in 1804, but it did not 
become a florists’ flower till about 1815, 
