The History of Dahlias

Dahlias are native to the mountainous regions of Central America and are so significant to the area that they are now Mexico’s national flower. Back in 1570, Francisco Hernández was sent to study Mexico’s natural history on the orders of King Phillip II of Spain; he may have been the first person to detail dahlias in his writing. In 1786, another Spanish expedition traveled to Mexico to complete Hernández’s work and they sent samples of dahlias back to Madrid’s Royal Botanic Gardens. In 1789, a botanist and priest named Antonio José Cavanilles published the first descriptions and drawings of three dahlia species based on these samples. Additional samples were distributed to other botanists and soon, dahlias were being cultivated across Europe. The first European-raised dahlias were single, open-centered flowers, but it was quickly discovered that dahlias naturally hybridize, changing their colors and shapes in the process, which led to incredible variety. Double dahlias were first bred in Germany in 1808 and by 1820, roughly 100 different dahlia species had been cultivated. Within 20 years, that number had jumped to 2,000! Flower shows in England began in the early 1830s and frequently featured dahlias. Interest in the flowers continued, and by the 1930s, there were 14,000 named dahlia cultivars; additionally, throughout the last century, there have been nearly 50,000 varieties noted. Today, dahlias are still very popular in many parts of the world and have always been prized in their homeland of Mexico.