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Asteraceae FAMILY Near Threatened

Dahlia imperialis

Dahlia imperialis

Edibility
2/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitShrub
Growth—

Most Dahlia species in Mexico grow at moderate to higher elevations, typically above 2,100 metres in southern Mexico, where there can be rapid changes in temperature, but no frosts[1]. The dahlia’s home area in the volcanic highlands of southern Mexico is hot and dry during the winter months but the rainy season during summer is characterized by afternoon thunderstorms. Also, dahlias are adapted to grow while being bathed in dew from the low hanging clouds[1]. Dahlia species in the wild are generally found on well-drained hillsides, rough banks and cliffs. The soil is typically a soft, porous and sandy loam with a gravelly subsoil which is often volcanic and mildly acidic[1]. Dahlia tubers are worth some experimentation as a root crop either for food or for sugar production since their root sugar content is quite respectable even without artificial selection. For example, up to 15 sweet potato-sized tubers, containing as much as 13% fruit sugar, can be produced by a single plant in one season under optimum conditions. This high sugar content, even among wild dahlias, compares favorably with sugar beets, even though sugar beets have been scientifically selected so that their sugar content has been increased from 7% to 20%. Such scientific breeding could lead to a similar increase in the sugar content of dahlias if they become recognized as a worthwhile agricultural plant[1].

Propagation

Seed - usually germinates in 1 - 3 weeks at 20°c[2]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on until large enough to plant out. Cuttings of young shoots as new growth begins. Division of the tubers when dormant. Each portion should have a growing point[3]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Dahlia+imperialis>

Pollinators

Insects

References

  1. [1]The Medicinal and Nutritional Properties of Dahlia spp. — Whitley G.R. · 1985 ↩︎
  2. [2]Growing from Seed. Volume 4. — Bird. R. (Editor) · Thompson and Morgan. · 1990 · ISBN - ↩︎Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Yuccas, one on Sagebrush (Artemesia spp) and another on Chaerophyllum bulbosum.
  3. [3]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  4. [4]Flora of Guatemala — Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark · 1946 - 1976 · http://www.archive.org/ ↩︎A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/
  5. [5]IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — http://www.iucnredlist.org/ ↩︎A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
  6. [6]Revision of the Genus Dahlia (Compositae, Heliantheae - Coreopsidinae) Part 1 — Sorensen P.D. · 1969 ↩︎
  7. [7]Food Plants in the Americas: A Survey of the Domesticated, Cultivated, and Wild Plants Used for Human Food in North, — Kermath B.M.; Bennett B.C.' Pulsipher L.M. · 2014 ↩︎A pre-publication draft of an amazing, on-going work first started in 1985. It contains information on more than 3,900 taxa from the Americas - from Arctic regions to the Tropics