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Dahlia pinnata - Cav.

Dahlia

Author	Cav.	Botanical references	200
Family	Compositae	Genus	Dahlia
Synonyms	Dahlia variabilis - (Willd.)Desf.
Known Hazards	None known
Range	Southern N. America - Mexico.
Habitat	Rich damp oak and pine woods at elevations around 1,800 metres[260].
Edibility Rating	1 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	0 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 1m.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats

Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Flowers; Root.

Edible Uses: Condiment; Sweetener.

The flower petals are used in salads[177]. Root - cooked and used as a vegetable[183]. A bitter flavour[200]. A sweet extract of the tuber, called 'dacopa', is used as a beverage or as a flavouring. It is mixed with hot or cold water and sprinkled on ice cream. Its naturally sweet mellow taste is said to combine the characteristics of coffee, tea and chocolate[183]. The root is rich in the starch inulin. Whilst not absorbed by the body, this starch can be converted into fructose, a sweetening substance suitable for diabetics to use[141, 171].

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

None known

Other Uses

Dye.

An orange dye is obtained from the flowers and seed heads[168, 169].

Cultivation details

An easily grown plant so long as the soil does not dry out[260]. It requires a deep rich soil and a sunny position[164], disliking shade[200]. The growing plant is very frost-tender, though the tubers are somewhat hardier tolerating temperatures down to about -5°c[260]. However, these tubers are not reliably hardy if left in the ground over winter in Britain[200]. They are best harvested after the foliage is killed off by frost and then stored in a cool but frost-free place over the winter, planting out in April/May[200].

Propagation

Seed - sow late winter to mid spring in a greenhouse. The seed usually germinates in 1 - 3 weeks at 20°c[164]. 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[200]. 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[200].

Links

References

[141] Carruthers. S. P. (Editor) Alternative Enterprises for Agriculture in the UK. Centre for Agricultural Strategy, Univ. of Reading 1986 ISBN 0704909820
Some suggested alternative commercial crops for Britain. Readable. Produced by a University study group.

[164] Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan. 1990
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Yuccas, one on Sagebrush (Artemesia spp) and another on Chaerophyllum bulbosum.

[168] Grae. I. Nature's Colors - Dyes from Plants. MacMillan Publishing Co. New York. 1974 ISBN 0-02-544950-8
A very good and readable book on dyeing.

[169] Buchanan. R. A Weavers Garden. 0
Covers all aspects of growing your own clothes, from fibre plants to dyes.

[171] Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952
Not very comprehensive, but it is quite readable and goes into some a bit of detail about the plants it does cover.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. 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.

[260] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2 Pan Books, London. 1998 ISBN 0-330-37376-5
Excellent photos of over 1,100 species and cultivars with habits and cultivation details plus a few plant uses. Many species are too tender for outdoors in Britain though there are many that can be grown outside.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

Dahlia pinnata

Ana Estela Lozano Mon Jul 19 19:58:25 2004

It is a very complet information, congratulatios for your work

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