Dahlia Flower

Dahlia Flower - Over 1800 Varieties 

With over 1800 selections, the Dahlia flower is among the most easily recognized categories on the earth. So special and important was the Dahliaflower in the horticultural circles, that an international consultation was held to define what is, and what is not, a Dahlia flower.

Dahlia Flower -Tips and Advice 

In 1962, at the International Horticultural Congress in Brussels, a conference was held to define what may be classified as a Dahlia flower. Color and shape were out of the question as those descriptors were both open to interpretation. Instead, it was decided that the center disk has to be double, and invisible. The disk could either be curling inwards, outwards, or both.

The thing that makes the Dahliaflower unique is the fact that it consists of two (or more) flowers within one. That may sound puzzling, but let us describe this lovely piece of nature. In the single layer Dahlias, the flowers spring out from a central disk, with the tips either perfectly rounded, or sharply pointed. A few selections have each individual petal divided into up to six sections.

The Anemone flowered Dahlia is a wonder of mother earth. Even though the central disk does definitely exist, you can not see it, because of the huge number of petals embedded within. These are named "Fancy Flower", as these are certainly, quite elegant.

One of the most gorgous Dahlia flowers is classified as the Ball Dahlia. The name does not do it justice. The flower is big and looks like honey comb. With eleven layers of petals, each layer piled on top of another, the overall design looks like a spiral, which tapers towards the top of the Dahlia flower.

These flowers are so entancing that movies have been titled after them, and authors wrote about them. Lately, the cinema version of "The Black Dahlia Murders" was released. An indie film, called "The Black Dahlia" is now in making. The plot centers around the enchanting beauty and fragility of the Dahliaflower, and was written by, and stars, the world famous guitar player, Gidget Gein.

This goes to show just how remarkable this flower is, with an international conference held to study and define it, and with the admiration of a rock music legend.