European introduction Dahlia

dahlia coccinea, parent of european single dahlias (i.e., displaying single row of ligulate florets)

in 1798, cavanilles sent d. pinnata seeds parma, italy. year, marchioness of bute, wife of earl of bute, english ambassador spain, obtained few seeds cavanilles , sent them kew gardens, flowered lost after 2 3 years.

the dahlia garden @ holland house in 1907



dahlia sambucifolia

in following years madrid sent seeds berlin , dresden in germany, , turin , thiene in italy. in 1802, cavanilles sent tubers of these 3 (d. pinnata, d. rosea, d. coccinea) swiss botanist augustin pyramus de candolle @ university of montpelier in france, andre thouin @ jardin des plantes in paris , scottish botanist william aiton @ kew gardens. same year, john fraser, english nurseryman , later botanical collector czar of russia, brought d. coccinea seeds paris apothecaries gardens in england, flowered in greenhouse year later, providing botanical magazine illustration.

in 1804, new species, dahlia sambucifolia, grown @ holland house, kensington. whilst in madrid in 1804, lady holland given either dahlia seeds or tubers cavanilles. sent them england, lord holland s librarian mr buonaiuti @ holland house, raised plants. year later, buonaiuti produced 2 double flowers. plants raised in 1804 did not survive; new stock brought france in 1815. in 1824, lord holland sent wife note containing following verse:

dahlia brought our isle

your praises ever shall speak;

mid gardens sweet smile,

and in colour bright cheek.

in 1805, german naturalist alexander von humboldt sent more seeds mexico aiton in england, thouin in paris, , christoph friedrich otto, director of berlin botanical garden. more significantly, sent seeds botanist carl ludwig willdenow in germany. willdenow reclassified rapidly growing number of species, changing genus dahlia georgina; after naturalist johann gottlieb georgi. combined cavanilles species d. pinnata , d. rosea under name of georgina variabilis; d. coccinea still held separate species, renamed georgina coccinea.