The History of the Dahlia

Dahlias are one of the most recognized and beloved of the cut flowers.  Relatively easy to grow and with endless color, shape, and size combinations, there is a dahlia for everybody.  There are dahlia societies and exhibitions throughout the world.  The cut flower industry relies heavily on dahlias, especially in wedding bouquets. Commercial growers and home gardeners alike delight in growing this versatile, beautiful flower. Knowing where the genus originated and how it came to be one of the most popular cut flowers with thousands of cultivars is an important part of understanding the dahlia, its cultural needs, and how it is bred. 

Most people think that the dahlia is a native of Europe, but this is not so.  The dahlia is a native of Mexico, with most of the species coming from the highland and central plateau areas.  In Mexico they are almost weedlike in their abundance and tenacity, yet these ‘weeds’ are the ancestors of what are today’s garden beauties.

There is evidence that the Aztec peoples practiced horticulture with gardens built for the pleasures of the wealthy.   It wasn’t until after the Spanish conquered Mexico in 1552 and the two cultures began learning from one another that dahlia culture was born.  An important book on medicinal plants was written in 1552 called The Badianus Manuscript, An Aztec Herbal of 1552. The book was written in Nahuatl, the traditional Aztec language, and was later translated into Latin. This manuscript was stored and forgotten for almost 400 years before being rediscovered in the Vatican Library in 1931. This small but important little manuscript contained what is believed to be the very first illustration of a dahlia.

Figure 1The first known illustration of a dahlia.  Taken from the Badianus Manuscript of 1552..

The dahlia would play a role in later writings by the Spanish, but only for their medicinal use.  Three sketches of dahlia appeared in a medical herbal titled Rerum Medicarum Novae Hispaniae Thesaurus seu Plantarum, Animalium, Mineralium Mexicanorum Historia, published in Rome around 1651.

Figure 2A dahlia illustration made by woodcut from the Rerum Medicarum of 1651

The first evidence of dahlias reaching Europe is from the late 18^th century. Antonio Jose Cavanilles, the future director of the Royal Botanic Gardens of Spain, wrote to Vincente Cervantes, who was involved with the Mexican botanical gardens, and asked him for a collection of seeds from Mexican plants.  Upon receiving the shipment of seeds, Cavanilles began to grow them.  It was from this shipment that the first dahlia seeds touched European soil.   Three dahlia plants were raised in all, and from these, more seeds collected and shared.  The record indicates that dahlia seeds were sent to Berlin, St. Petersburg, France, and England.  In sending the seeds of native dahlia to horticultural capitals, a new era of dahlia was born, which has allowed the genus to become a crown jewel of floriculture across the globe.

Sorensen, Paul D., “The Dahlia: An Early History.” Arnoldia, Volume 30, Issue 4, Year 1970, Pages 121-138.