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Dahlias-LR9A1661

dahlia, (genus Dahlia), genus of about 40 species of flowering plants in the aster family (Asteraceae), native to the higher elevations of Mexico and Central America. About six of the species in the Dahlia genus have been bred for cultivation as ornamental flowers and are popular in the floral industry and in gardens. The thousands of dahlia cultivars are classed into a variety of types, including single, double, pompon, cactus, waterlily, peony-flowered, and dinnerplate dahlias.

 

Dahlias are tuberous perennials, and most have simple leaves that are segmented and toothed or cut. The compound flowers may be white, yellow, red, or purple in colour. Wild species of dahlias have both disk and ray flowers in the flowering heads, but many varieties of ornamentals such as the common garden dahlia (D. bipinnata) have shortened ray flowers. Dahlias grow well in most garden soils. They begin flowering late in the summer and continue flowering until interrupted by frost in the autumn.

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Uploaded on April 20, 2022
Taken on September 26, 2015