Dahlia pinnata
Cav.
Asteraceae
The Temperate Database is in the process of being updated, with new records being added and old ones being checked and brought up to date where necessary. This record has not yet been checked and updated.
Common Name: Dahlia
Flowering plant
Photograph by: Denis Conrado
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
Flowering plant
Photograph by: Denis Conrado
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
General Information
Dahlia pinnata is a perennial plant that can grow up to 1.00 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and source of materials.
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
Range
Southern N. America - Mexico.
Habitat
Rich damp oak and pine woods at elevations around 1,800 metres[
260- Title
- Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2
- Publication
-
- Author
- Phillips. R. & Rix. M.
- Publisher
- Pan Books, London.
- Year
- 1998
- ISBN
- 0-330-37376-5
- Description
- Excellent photos of over 1,100 species and cultivars with habits and cultivation details plus a few plant uses. Many species are too tender for outdoors in Britain though there are many that can be grown outside.
].
Properties
Edibility Rating | |
Habit | Perennial |
Height | 1.00 m |
Pollinators | Insects |
Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
An easily grown plant so long as the soil does not dry out[
260- Title
- Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2
- Publication
-
- Author
- Phillips. R. & Rix. M.
- Publisher
- Pan Books, London.
- Year
- 1998
- ISBN
- 0-330-37376-5
- Description
- Excellent photos of over 1,100 species and cultivars with habits and cultivation details plus a few plant uses. Many species are too tender for outdoors in Britain though there are many that can be grown outside.
]. It requires a deep rich soil and a sunny position[
164- Title
- Growing from Seed. Volume 4.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Bird. R. (Editor)
- Publisher
- Thompson and Morgan.
- Year
- 1990
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Yuccas, one on Sagebrush (Artemesia spp) and another on Chaerophyllum bulbosum.
], disliking shade[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
The growing plant is very frost-tender, though the tubers are somewhat hardier tolerating temperatures down to about -5°c[
260- Title
- Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2
- Publication
-
- Author
- Phillips. R. & Rix. M.
- Publisher
- Pan Books, London.
- Year
- 1998
- ISBN
- 0-330-37376-5
- Description
- Excellent photos of over 1,100 species and cultivars with habits and cultivation details plus a few plant uses. Many species are too tender for outdoors in Britain though there are many that can be grown outside.
]. However, these tubers are not reliably hardy if left in the ground over winter in Britain[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
]. They are best harvested after the foliage is killed off by frost and then stored in a cool but frost-free place over the winter, planting out in April/May[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
Edible Uses
The flower petals are used in salads[
177- Title
- Plants for Human Consumption.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Kunkel. G.
- Publisher
- Koeltz Scientific Books
- Year
- 1984
- ISBN
- 3874292169
- Description
- An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of Latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
].
Root - cooked and used as a vegetable[
183- Title
- Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications
- Year
- 1990
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-0-9
- Description
- Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
]. A bitter flavour[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
]. A sweet extract of the tuber, called 'dacopa', is used as a beverage or as a flavouring. It is mixed with hot or cold water and sprinkled on ice cream. Its naturally sweet mellow taste is said to combine the characteristics of coffee, tea and chocolate[
183- Title
- Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications
- Year
- 1990
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-0-9
- Description
- Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
]. The root is rich in the starch inulin. Whilst not absorbed by the body, this starch can be converted into fructose, a sweetening substance suitable for diabetics to use[
141- Title
- Alternative Enterprises for Agriculture in the UK.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Carruthers. S. P. (Editor)
- Publisher
- Centre for Agricultural Strategy, Univ. of Reading
- Year
- 1986
- ISBN
- 0704909820
- Description
- Some suggested alternative commercial crops for Britain. Readable. Produced by a University study group.
,
171- Title
- Economic Botany.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Hill. A. F.
- Publisher
- The Maple Press
- Year
- 1952
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Not very comprehensive, but it is quite readable and goes into some detail about the plants it does cover.
].
Medicinal
None known
Other Uses
An orange dye is obtained from the flowers and seed heads[
168- Title
- Nature's Colors - Dyes from Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Grae. I.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Publishing Co. New York.
- Year
- 1974
- ISBN
- 0-02-544950-8
- Description
- A very good and readable book on dyeing.
,
169- Title
- A Weavers Garden
- Publication
-
- Author
- Buchanan. R.
- Publisher
- McGraw-Hill Contemporary
- Year
- 1987
- ISBN
- 0934026289
- Description
- Covers all aspects of growing your own clothes, from fibre plants to dyes.
].
Propagation
Seed - sow late winter to mid spring in a greenhouse. The seed usually germinates in 1 - 3 weeks at 20°c[
164- Title
- Growing from Seed. Volume 4.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Bird. R. (Editor)
- Publisher
- Thompson and Morgan.
- Year
- 1990
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Yuccas, one on Sagebrush (Artemesia spp) and another on Chaerophyllum bulbosum.
]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings of young shoots in early spring. The tubers are usually brought into the greenhouse in late winter in order to encourage early growth and young basal shoots are removed as soon as they are large enough[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
Division. The roots are usually harvested in the autumn. These can be divided into individual tubers when planting out in the spring. Each portion should have a growing point[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.