Flaming Red Dahlia
by Bruce Bley
Title
Flaming Red Dahlia
Artist
Bruce Bley
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
This photograph of a miniature red and yellow dahlia was taken while visiting a local greenhouse.
Dahlias are a genus of bushy, tuberous, herbaceous perennial plants native mainly in Mexico, but also Central America, and Colombia. A member of the Asteraceae or Compositae, dicotyledonous plants, related species include the sunflower, daisy, chrysanthemum and zinnia. There are at least 36 species of dahlia, with hybrids commonly grown as garden plants. Flower forms are variable, with one head per stem; these can be as small as 2 in (5.1 cm) diameter or up to 1 ft (30 cm) ("dinner plate"). This great variety results from dahlias being octoploids that is, they have eight sets of homologous chromosomes, whereas most plants have only two. In addition, dahlias also contain many transposons genetic pieces that move from place to place upon an allele which contributes to their manifesting such great diversity.
The stems are leafy, ranging in height from as low as 12 in (30 cm) to more than 6-8 ft (1.8�2.4 m). The majority of species do not produce scented flowers or cultivars. Like most plants that do not attract pollinating insects through scent, they are brightly colored, displaying most hues, with the exception of blue.
The dahlia was declared the national flower of Mexico in 1963. The tubers were grown as a food crop by the Aztecs, but this use largely died out after the Spanish Conquest. Attempts to introduce the tubers as a food crop in Europe were unsuccessful.
I hope you have enjoyed this photograph and will share it with others. You can see more of my work on my homepage in the various galleries I have created. Thank you for visiting and please come back.
Uploaded
May 18th, 2014
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Comments (15)
Bruce Bley
Doug, I am very grateful for the feature in the group "Dahlias". Thank you so much for the honor.
Bruce Bley
Ron and Iris. I truly appreciate the feature in the group "Flowers". Thank you for the honor.
Francie Davis
Awesome shot!! I just got some of these dahlias and they are so beautiful! This is a wonderful capture!! v/f
Bruce Bley replied:
Francie, Thank you for the gracious comment and v. I am sure you will enjoy your purchase. They are a beautiful flower.
Deb Halloran
Hi Bruce, What a gorgeous Dahlia, Fantastic colors, light and detail...so delicate. Congrats on your many features..nicely done. v/f
Bruce Bley replied:
Thank you for the kind and gracious compliment, Deb. I also want to thank you for the v. I truly appreciate it.
Deb Halloran
Hi Bruce, What a gorgeous Dahlia, Fantastic colors, light and detail...so delicate. Congrats on your many features..nicely done. v/f
Bruce Bley
Steven, I am very grateful for the feature in the group "Pretty Flowers". Thank you so much for the honor.
Bruce Bley
Thank you for the feature in the group "The World We See", Svetlana. I truly appreciate the honor.
Donna Kennedy
Congratulations Bruce! Your beautiful capture has been Featured in our group The Gold Standard, because of its excellence! Also added my tweet/like
Bruce Bley replied:
Donna, I truly appreciate the feature in the group "The Gold Standard" group. I also want to thank you for the tweet and like.