Dahlia rosea
At a glance
- Lifecycle
- Perennial (hardy)
- Exposure
- Full sun
- Frost limit
- −6.7 °C
Cultivation
Requires a deep rich soil and a sunny position. The growing plant is very frost-tender, though the tubers are somewhat hardier. However, these tubers are not reliably hardy if left in the ground over winter in Britain. A parent of the cultivated garden dahlia.
Propagation
Seed - sow late winter to mid spring in a greenhouse. The seed usually germinates in 1 - 3 weeks at 20°c. 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. 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.
Edible uses
The flower petals are used in salads. Root - cooked and used as a vegetable.
Medicinal uses
A valuable and much needed drug was extracted from dahlia roots during the first world war. No more information was given in the report[K].
Material uses
Yellow and gold dyes are obtained from the flowers and seed heads.
Habitat
Pine-oak forests and sandy meadows to 1500 metres.
Native range
Southern N. America - Mexico.