Scientific Name:
Dahlia
x
hybrida
Pronunciation:
DAH-lee-ah ex HYE-brid-ah
Common Name:
dahlia
Family Name:
Asteraceae
Plant Type:
Annual (grown as), Flowering cut plant
Key ID Features:
Herbaceous perennial 30cm to 2.4m tall arising from tuberous roots; leaves opposite, most pinnately compound (unlike zinnia), leaflets elliptic-ovate, 10-15cm long x 5-10cm wide, margin toothed; flower heads zinnia-like, most 5-10cm wide, round to flattened with many ray florets, usually solitary on tall stems but some will form new buds below, all colours except blue and classified by shape.
Habit:
Dense, Spreading, Stiffly upright
Form:
Oval - vertical, Round
Texture:
Coarse
Mature Height:
0.7 - 1.3m
Mature Spread:
0.3 - 0.6m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
Central America, Garden origin, Mexico (Unknown parentage involving species originally from Middle America)
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 8b: (-9.4 to -7 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun
Soil/Growing Medium:
Well-drained
Water Use:
Moderate
Landscape Uses:
Accent plant, Bedding plant, Container planting, Cut flower or foliage, Fall interest, Group or mass planting, Summer interest
Additional Info:
Google. Cultivars shown may include D. 'Bishop of Llandaff'.
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple, Compound
Arrangement:
Opposite
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible
Surfaces:
Lustrous
Compound Leaf:
Odd-pinnate
Colour in Fall:
Green
Shapes:
Elliptic, Ovate
Apices:
Rounded
Margins:
Dentate
Inflorescence Type:
Head (capitulum), Floriferous
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Corolla Shape:
Ligulate
Ovary Position:
Inferior
Colour (petals):
Showy, White, Orange, Yellow, Green-yellow, Green, Violet, Purple, Pink, Magenta, Red, Dark-red, Brown
Flower Scent:
None
Flower Time at Peak:
Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
Fruit Type:
Achene
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
Oct, Nov
Additional Info:
Fruit insignificant
Bark or Stem Colour:
Green, Red
Organ Modifications:
Tuberous roots
Propagation:
Seed, Division - below ground parts
Maintenance:
High
Pest Susceptibility:
Aphids, Blight or needle cast, Caterpillar or cutworm, Earwigs, Fungal leaf spot, Leafhopper, Mildew, Mites, Mold, Root rot, Slugs or snails, Virus, Wilt (Pest resistant, Disease resistant, Rabbit resistant)
Course(s):
- HORT 1155
- Level 1 Apprenticeship
Location(s):
- (BED) BEDding, container, or basket
- (HPZ) Horticulture PlaZa : cv. Nights (2016)