Namesake: Anders Dahl, 1751-89, the Swede botanist and pupil of plant-naming guru Carolus Linnaeus (more on him later)
Provenance: Mexico, Guatemala
Stats: Fat sectioned trunks with fatter blooms. Petals range from skinny, spiky things to lush pompoms. Some blooms can allegedly grow up to 12 inches.
Family Tree: A branch of the Aster family
Diaspora: According to a Brian Killingsworth article in the American Dahlia Society, a box of dahlias were shipped from Mexico to Holland in 1872 after the first wave of European interest in flower waned . All but one bright red bloom survived. How not to love a wily survivor! Now everywhere and Brooklyn.
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