Meaning of the Dahlia Flower

Revered for its beauty, the stunning dahlia flower comes in diverse shapes, sizes and colors. The dahlia blooms for extended periods of time, surpassing most other garden flowers, and many gardening enthusiasts refer to it as the "Queen of the Autumn Garden." The dahlia's allure has a far reach: it is San Francisco's official flower, an official emblem of Mexico, and is considered in Japan to be a sign of good taste.

History
Indigenous to the highlands of Mexico and Guatemala, the dahlia flower first arrived in Europe in the 1500s, following the defeat of the Aztec Indians by Spanish conquistadors. Dahlias were introduced to Spain by returning botanists, who had accompanied the Spaniards to the New World. In 1789, Vincente Cervantes, director of Mexico City's Botanical Gardens, sent dahlia seeds to Spanish botanist Antonio Cavanilles of Madrid. Eventually, Cavanilles sent dahlia bulbs to Swedish botanist Andreas Dahl, for whom the dahlia is named. Dahl helped popularize the flower throughout Western Europe and Scandinavia.

Ancient Uses
Before the Spanish arrived in Mexico, the Aztecs named the dahlia "Acocotli," which means "water cane." This specifically referred to the Dahlia imperialis, which today is called tree dahlia. Growing to a height of 20 feet or more, this variety of dahlia has hollow stems, which Aztec hunters used to transport water. Centuries ago, the dahlia's large, fleshy roots, or tubers, held significant meaning for the Aztecs, who used the underground part of the plant to create a treatment for epilepsy.

Names
Dahlia, which means "valley," is a reference to Andreas Dahl, though it unclear as to why the flower received his surname instead of being named after one of the first Spanish botanists to study it. Dahlia flowers belong to the Asteraceae family, a group that includes sunflowers, asters and daisies. "Asteraceae" means "star," referring to the star shape of the dahlia blossom.

Love and Dahlias
Symbolizing hope for an everlasting union between two people, dahlia flowers are presented to couples at engagement parties and weddings. These flowers, which bloom in white and a variety of showy hues, including pink, crimson, orange and yellow, are given as an anniversary gift in celebration of 14 years of marriage, although the origin of this tradition is unknown.

Considerations
In Victorian times it was inappropriate to exhibit intimate feelings in public, and the exchange of flowers expressed unspoken words of affection. Dahlias, like many of varieties of flower, were imbued with different meanings. Dahlia blossoms represent contradictory virtues. The flower's negative connotations of betrayal, instability and dishonesty conflict greatly with Victorian-era ones of dignity, elegance and forever thine, which are still relevant meanings of today. Because of its disparate meanings, a written explanation included with the bouquet of dahlia flowers might help to clarify a sender's intentions to the recipient.

Source: http://www.ehow.com/about_6512864_meaning-dahlia-flower_.html

Dahlia Flower Information

Plants are among the most abundant organisms on the planet, covering much of the Earth's terrestrial surface and found on almost every continent. There are millions of species, each one unique. Flowers are the reproductive structures of plants and are often affiliated with bright colors and bushy petals. One of the more widespread is the Dahlia.

What are Dahlias?
A dahlia is genus of plants from Colombia, Central America and Mexico. They are bushy and perennial, meaning they typically live for more than two years. The genus, which contains around 36 species, was grown by the Aztecs for food and decoration. Today, hybrid Dahlias are commonly used in gardens for decorative purposes. It is named for the 18th century Swedish botanist, Anders Dahl.

What's its History?
French botanist Nicolas-Joseph Thiery de Menonville was sent to Mexico in the late 18th century to capture an insect known for its dye when he noticed particularly beautiful Dahlias, which he noted in his official report. Dahlias flowered for the first time in Madrid in October 1789, and from there more seeds were spread across the world. In 1813, florists began breeding Dahlias by the thousands, creating many different colors and floral patterns. Today, the Dahlia is the national flower of Mexico, an accolade it's had since 1963.

What's it Look Like?
Dahlias come in a variety of colors and today have been hybridized with other flowers creating even more colors: brown purple, to yellow, to blue and red to everything in between. Most natural viruses are pale violet or amethyst. Their sizes are highly varied, with some plants growing only as tall as 12 inches while others extend upward of 8 feet tall. The Dahlia flowers' sizes are also extremely varied, with smaller flowers reaching about 2 inches in diameter with other flowers, known as "dinner plate flowers," reaching up to 1 foot across.

Competitions
Dahlias have become so popular that many fairs offer Dahlia competitions. Flowers are judged on color, size and overall attractiveness. Typically, dahlias grown for showing purposes are cultivated using intense fertilization regimes, with pesticides and inorganic fertilizers often employed. Recently, though, in the wake of a growing sensitivity toward environmental causes, show Dahlia growers have resorted to organic means of cultivation.

Diseases
As with other plants, Dahlias are prone to a variety of afflictions. They are susceptible to bacterial infections such as bacterial wilt and crown gall. Fungal diseases include flower blight, leaf spot, southern blight, smut, powdery mildew, stem and tube rot, cottony stem rot, and vascular wilt. They are also prone to several viral diseases, including mosaic virus and ringspot.

In Japan
In Japan, the Dahlia is known as the tenjikubotan, which means "Peony of India." It is also translated as "good taste."

Source: http://www.ehow.com/about_6605085_dahlia-flower-information.html