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| Dahlia hybrida 'Hypnotic White' 15 July 2025 |
A spent dahlia & my existential angst
Dahlia (UK: /ˈdeɪliə/ DAY-lee-ə, US: /ˈdæljə, ˈdɑːljə, ˈdeɪljə/ DA(H)L-yə, DAYL-yə)[3] is a genus of bushy, tuberous, herbaceous perennial plants native to Mexico and Central America. Dahlias are members of the Asteraceae (synonym name: Compositae) family of dicotyledonous plants, its relatives include the sunflower, daisy, chrysanthemum, and zinnia. There are 49 species of dahlia, with flowers in almost every hue (except blue), with hybrids commonly grown as garden plants.
Dahlias were known only to the Aztecs and other southern North American peoples until the Spanish conquest, after which the plants were brought to Europe. The tubers of some varieties are of medicinal and dietary value to humans because, in common with species of Inula and many other flowering plants, they use inulin, a polymer of the fruit sugar, fructose instead of starch as a storage polysaccharide. Wikipedia
One of the, I believe wonders of the 21st century is the ability to find out quickly and well information that at one time was only available at a public library. Hence there is that Wikiepedia information on the dahlia. How I was to know it was a plant that the Aztecs new well?
In our garden Rosemary and I had few dahlias. The only one that survived our move is the one you see in the scan here.
I scanned it and I believe that the results are breathtaking and elegant. Even though I may have at least 3000 scans since I began in 2002, I cannot tire at the beauty of my scanographs.
