6 September 2021

The genus Dahlia is named after one of Linnaeus's disciples, Anders Dahl, and belongs to the Asteraceae family.

There are about 30 wild species of Dahlia in nature. All of them grow in Mexico, Columbia and Central America, most of them high up on rocky hillsides. Most cultivated varieties of dahlias is various hybrid crosses between these wild species.

Dahlia is Mexico's national flower. Long before Europeans came to America, the Aztecs cultivated dahlias and used them for medicine, food, and water pipes.

Photo of dahlias in bloom
Photo: Mia Olvång