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Dahlia
Dahlias are a genus of tuberous perennials from Mexico and Central America, with hybrids grown widely as garden plants in almost every flower colour except blue. The key to growing them is sun, well-drained but moist soil, and protecting the tubers from frost over winter.
Dahlia (UK: DAY-lee-ə, US: DA(H)L-yə, DAYL-yə) is a genus of bushy, tuberous, herbaceous perennial plants native to Mexico and Central America. Dahlias are members of the Asteraceae (synonym name: Compositae) family of dicotyledonous plants, its relatives include the sunflower, daisy, chrysanthemum, and zinnia. There are 49 species of dahlia, with flowers in almost every hue (except blue), with hybrids commonly grown as garden plants.
Dahlias were known only to the Aztecs and other southern North American peoples until the Spanish conquest, after which the plants were brought to Europe. The tubers of some varieties are of medicinal and dietary value to humans because, in common with species of Inula and many other flowering plants, they use inulin, a polymer of the fruit sugar fructose, instead of starch as a storage polysaccharide.
Dahlias grow naturally in climates that do not experience frost (the tubers are hardy to USDA Zone 8). Consequently they are not adapted to withstand sub-zero temperatures. However, their tuberous nature enables them to survive periods of dormancy, and this characteristic means that gardeners in temperate climates with frosts can grow dahlias successfully, provided the tubers are lifted from the ground and stored in cool yet frost-free conditions during the winter. Planting the tubers quite deep (10–15 cm or 4–6 in) also provides some protection. When in active growth, modern dahlia hybrids perform most successfully in well-watered yet free-draining soils, in situations receiving plenty of sunlight. Taller cultivars usually require some form of staking as they grow, and all garden dahlias need deadheading regularly, once flowering commences.
Dahlia is found predominantly in Mexico, but some species are found ranging as far south as northern South America. D. australis occurs at least as far south as southwestern Guatemala, while D. coccinea and D. imperialis also occur in parts of Central America and northern South America. Dahlia is a genus of the uplands and mountains, being found at elevations between 1,500 and 3,700 m (4,900 and 12,100 ft), in what has been described as a "pine–oak woodland" vegetative zone. Most species have limited ranges scattered throughout many mountain ranges in Mexico
The Aztecs used dahlias to treat epilepsy, and employed the long hollow stem of the D. imperialis for water pipes. Europeans attempted to introduce the tubers as a food crop, but this was unpopular.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Dahlia by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
