Sweet Dahlia

by Bruce Bley

Title

Sweet Dahlia

Artist

Bruce Bley

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

This photograph of a miniature red and yellow dahlia was taken while visiting a local greenhouse in Rock Falls, Illinois.

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 inches diameter or up to 1 foot ("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 6th, 2015

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