About the dahlia ...

The dahlia originated in Mexico and was used as a food - people ate the tubers like we eat potatoes.  The flowers were brought to Europe in 1530 by Spanish explorers and spread to Germany as well as English gardens before being imported to the U.S.  The explorers brought back different plants from different areas, creating a new game of hybridizing.  Although it came from Mexico, it was named after a Swedish botanist, A. Dahl.

Dahlias can be less than an inch in diameter (pompons) up to over 14 inches in diameter (AA - dinner plates).  There are over 2,000 cultivares (flowers) in about 20 forms, and all colors except blue.