dahlia

1. any herbaceous perennial plant of the Mexican genus Dahlia, having showy flowers and tuberous roots, esp any horticultural variety derived from D. pinnata: family Asteraceae (composites)

2. the flower or root of any of these plants

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

dahlia

There are so many versions of this amazingly beautiful flower family it’s mind-blowing. Some can grow taller than a person. Related to sunflowers , chrysanthemums, daisies, marigolds, dandelion, Jerusalem Artichokes. Flowers and roots edible. Root (tuber) flavors range from spicy apple to water chestnut or celery root. Some use them in place of potatoes. There are so many varieties, it’s not known if all are edible, but the assumption is that most are. You are on your own here. Dahlia pinnata is definitely edible. Roots contain a natural fructose polymer called Inulin, which helps reduce appetite by slowing the body's metabolism of carbohydrates. A sweet juice is extracted from the dahlia root and cooked at low temperatures to produce a syrup that is 93 percent inulin, a complex carbohydrate that is caloriefree, and a great probiotic food source. Since inulin doesn't stress the pancreas, it’s great for diabetics.

dahlia

symbol of dignity. [Flower Symbolism: Jobes, 406]

See: Dignity

dahlia

represents elegance. [Flower Symbolism: Jobes, 406]

See: Elegance

dahlia

of Mexico. [Flower Symbolism: WB, 7: 264]

See: Flower Or Plant, National

dahlia

symbol of splendor. [Plant Symbolism: Flora Symbolica, 168]

See: Splendor

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Dahlia

a genus of perennial herbaceous plants of the thistle family (Compositae), with thickened, tuberoid roots. The stalk is hollow, 35-200 cm high. The leaves are opposite, pinnate, or triple pinnate. The inflorescence is a calathide and consists of a large number of tubular and Ungulate blossoms, or only ungulate blossoms, extremely varied in color. Approximately 15 wild species are known, distributed in Mexico and Guatemala.

The dahlia appeared in cultivation in Europe at the end of the 18th century. There are more than 8,000 varieties, obtained by hybridization. Garden dahlias are divided into three groups, according to type of inflorescence: single (simple and miniature), with one row of outer Ungulate blossoms (the rest of the blossoms are tubular); semidouble (anemone-like and collar-shaped), with two to three rows of Ungulate blossoms; and double (pompoms, globular dahlias, ornamentals, cactus dahlias, and several others), in which the tubular blossoms are all or almost all transformed into Ungulate ones (barren ones). The dimensions of the inflorescences are 3-35 cm. In ornamental horticulture dahlias are used for individual and group plantings and as cut flowers.

Dahlias are propagated by cuttings, division of tubers, and seeds. Well-lighted areas with fertilized soils are used for dahlia plantings. In order to obtain large flowers, no more than three stems are left on the bush; superfluous shoots are removed as soon as they appear, as are side shoots (shoots in the leaf axils). Care consists of abundant irrigation, frequent cultivation of the soil, feeding, and weeding. Tubers are dug up after autumn frosts for winter storage. The dried tubers are stored in a dry, dark place at a temperature of 4°-5° C in a single layer.

REFERENCES

Sharonova, M. Georginy. Moscow, 1952.
Zalivskii, I. L. Georginy, 3rd ed. Moscow-Leningrad, 1959.