A Timeline of I mportant Dates in Dahlia Cultivation and Hybridization


Dahlia 'Porcelain', a white water lily type

1300-1400
Indians use plants variously identified as "Acocotl" (by the Quanhnahuacenses), "Chichipatl" (by the Tepoztlanenses) both "Acocotle" and "Cocoxochitl" (by the Aztecs) for medicinal purposes and decoration.
1400
Plants of these were reported growing in gardens of Oaxaca and Mexico City.
1525
Spanish Hidalgos find these plants growing in Mexico.
1570
Francisco Hernandez sends to Mexico by King Phillip II to study the "natural products of that country".
1570-1577
Hernandez studies those natural products accompanied a least part time by Francisco Dominguez.
1577-1578
Manuscripts, including drawings of plants and animals of Mexico by Dominguez, written in Spanish by Hernandez are deposited in the Escurial.
1615
The Hernandez manuscripts are translated into Latin by Francisco Ximenes.
1640
Ximenes manuscript bought by Francisco Cesi President of the Academia Linei of Rome. These are brought up to date with remarks provided by Nardi, Antoni, Richi and others.
1649-1651
The augmented works of Hernandez are published in two volumes by Vitalis Mascardi.
1715
Original manuscripts are destroyed by fire.
1787
Thiery de Menonville reports seeing the plant growing in a garden in Oaxaca, Mexico.
1789
Vicente Cervantes, Director of the Botanical Garden at Mexico City, sen=dst "plant parts of "Acocotl" to Abbe Antonio Jose Cavanilles, Director of the Royal Gardens of Madrid.
Cavanilles flowered one plant.
1790
Cavanilles flowers a second plant.
1791
Cavanilles describes the two plants and gives them the name "Dahlias" in memory of the Swedish Botanist, student of Carolus Linneus and author of Observationes Botanicae, Andreas Dahl. He gives the first flowered the name Dahlia pinnata after the pinnate foliage; the other Dahlia rosea after its rose-purple color.
1796
Cavanilles flowers a third plant from the plants sent by Cervantes. This he named Dahlia coccinea because of the color.
1798
The Marchioness of Butte, wife of the English Ambassador to Spain at the time, obtains seeds from Cavanilles and sends them to Kew Gardens. Plants obtained from these were soon lost.
D. pinnata received in Parma Italy from Madrid.
1799
Seeds are received in Berlin and Dresden, Germany.
1800
D. rosea is received in Berlin from Dresden, Germany.
1801
Dahlias are received in Turin Italy from Madrid.
1802
Dahlias are received at Thiene Italy from Madrid.
John Sloane brings seeds of D. coccinea from Paris to Chelsea, England.
Cavanilles sends roots of D. pinnata, D. rosea and D. coccinea to Andre Thouin at Jardin des Plantes, Paris.
John Fraser carries seeds of D. coccinea from Paris to Chelsea, England.
1803
Fraser seeds are flowered at the Apothecaries, Gardens, Chelsea, England.
E.J. Woodford carries a plant of Dahlia rosea to Vauxhall from Paris.
1804-1805
Lady Holland sends seeds from Spain to Holland House, Kensington, England in May. They are flowered the same year by her librarian and gardener Mr. Buonaiuti.
Friedrick Alexander von Humboldt sends seeds from Mechoacan, Mexico to Willdenow in Germany. They are flowered the same year and named Georgina after Professor Georgi of Russia, a fellow botanist and traveler.
Humboldt sends seeds from Mexico to Aiton in England.
Humboldt sends seeds from Mexico to Thouin in Paris.
First double flower is produced in Belgium.
Willdenow issues the first classification of Dahlia species.
1804-1809
Several new species are reported including colors of red, purple, lilac, pale and yellowish.
1805
Humboldt sends seeds to F. Otto, director of the Berlin Botanical Garden.
Buonaiuti produces two double flowers in England.
1808
Hartwig of Karlsruhe obtains first double flower in Germany.
Otto receives the first double from Stuttgart.
1809
Otto produces a double dahlia of his own at Berlin.
Willdenow accepts Cavanilles name "Dahlia" in lieu of "Georgina".
1810
William Aiton establishs the first species to produce both color groups (whites and pinks, and oranges and reds): D. superflua. De Candolle accepts D. superflua and reports five varieties of D. superflua plus three varieties of D. coccinea.
1811
Donkelaar, director of the Botanic Garden at Louvain, Belgium reports three double forms.
1816
Haage of Leipzig produces a double form.
J. Lee of Hammersmith Nurseries, England produces the first fully double purple.
1817
Count Lelieur of France produces a double flower.
Compte de Vandes of France produces a double form.
C. Arentz of Leyden Holland produces double forms.
Hartwig of Karlsruhe, Germany produces a double form.
Van Eeden of Haarlem, Holland produces a double form.
1819
Donckelaar produces as many as 50 double forms.
1820
Donckelaar growing as many as 10,000 seedlings.
1821
Arentz produces first double white dahlia.
1824
Picture of first "formal decorative" type appears in Germany
1826
Anemone-flowered dahlia ('Bella Donna') reported grown by Mr. Drummond of Cork, Ireland.
First double scarlet dahlia is reported. Smith suggests it resulted from a cross between D. pinnata and D. frustanea.
Over 100 varieties being grown in Germany.
1828
Plants of dahlias sell at $2.50 to $25.00 in England.
Complete control of stock of a new variety sells for as much $2,500 in England.
First double Camellia-flowered dahlias are described.
Will's Sunflower', first of the modern peony type, is introduced.
1829
First anemone-flowered dahlia is reported in Germany as 'Painted Lady'.
First "show" dahlia, 'Sphaerocephala' is found at the nursery of Mr J. Lee af Hammersmith.
M. Desfontaines of France suggests placing all known varieties of dahlia under one name. Approved by other taxonomists of the day, this establishes D. variabilis, Desf. Prior to this each new form of dahlia was given a distinct botanical species name.
First bi-color dahlia, 'Levick's Incomparable' is produced in England.
1832
First Bi-color single is produced in England.
First perfect "show" dahlia 'Springfield Rival' is produced by George Jones of Surrey England.
1833
Christian Deegen of Germany produces an anemone-flowered dahlia.
First "Dahlia Classification Register" is produced in Germany by Kirscht. This lists rose-flowered, carnation-flowered, ranunculus-flowered, anemone-flowered, helianthus-flowered, aster-flowered, poppy-flowered and star-flowered dahlias.
First formal decorative type of Holland origin is painted; this variety is called 'Turban'.
Fancy Dahlias are produced by Count Lelier, but do not receive definite standing until 1844.
1843
First double dahlias of D. coccinea are produced by Schlechtendahl and Pepin.
1845
First scented dahlia is produced by Godra of Neu Verbass, Austria.
1846
Caledonia Horticultural Society of Edinburgh, Scotland offers a prize of 2,000 pounds to the person producing the first blue dahlia.
1851-1852
Johann Sieckman of Kostritz, Germany introduces the first "lilliput" or pompone dahlias.
1860
Pompon dahlias first appear in England where they are known at first as lilliputian or bouquet dahlias.
1861
Pompon dahlias appear in the United States.
First all black foliage dahlia is reported from Germany.
1872
J.T. Van de Berg of Jutphaas, Holland receives a shipment of seeds and plants from a friend in Mexico, and is able to salvage a dahlia tuber.
1872-1873
Van de Berg make cuttings which produce a different kind of flower than previously known, red in color. It is named Dahlia juarezii, after the late president of Mexico, Benito Juarez who had died earlier in 1872.
1873
D. gracilis, parent of the dwarf, bushy singles is introduced by Benedict Roezl.
1874
Van der Berg catalogues D. juarezii for sale. The flowers are described as "much like those of Cereus speciossimus" earning the designation "cactus" dahlia.
1878
H. Cannell and Sons reintroduce 'The Paragon'.
1879
First D. juarezii is exhibited in England by H. Cannell.
1880
First Tom Thumb types are raised by T.W. Girdlestone and introduced by H. Cannell and Sons of Crawley, England.
First mignon type introduced by Dominicus of Schiedam, Holland.
1884
All black foliage dahlia, 'Lucifer', is introduced by Rivoir of France. This is considered the first modern paeony type dahlia.
1890
Peacock discovers the first nymphaea (water lily) dahlia growing in a rural garden in New Jersey.
1891
First single cactus is offered for sale by Dobbie and Sons Co. Rothesay, Scotland.
1892
First "gloria" dahlia (an anemone type), is introduced by Schmidt of Erfurt, Germany.
1893
Peacock introduces the first nymphaea (water lily) dahlia.
1894
First "pyrethrum" type dahlia, 'Aegir', is introduced by Heinemann of Germany. This has been reported as originating with Servain of France.
1896
First miniature cactus, 'Herman Kieze', is produced by Schmidt of Erfurt, Belgium. This is originally called "pompom cactus".
First quilled dahlia is reported.
First anemone-flowered, fully quilled dahlia is grown in France.
First laciniated dahlia, 'Progenitor', originates by Wm. Keynes & Son of Wallsend, Australia.
1898
'Progenitor' is introduced into England where it is exhibited by Veitch and described as "furcated" type.
1899
First couronne dahlia originates with Loiseau of France
First gloria dahlia is grown in France.
1900
First collarette dahlia, 'President Viger', is developed by Gerard in France.
A large paeony-flowered dahlia, developed by Wilhelm Pfitzer of Germany, is exhibited by M.H. Hornsveld of Baam, Holland.
1901
First Parisian dahlia, 'Paris', is developed by Miller and Sons in France.
1903
Single, giant-flowered dahlia is introduced into France from Holland. This is reported to be over nine inches in diameter.
1904
First semi-double form of paeony-flowered dahlia is developed at Lyon, France.
1907
D. coronata is introduced into Europe from Mexico by J.C. Schmidt of Erfutt Germany.
A second scented dahlia is introduced by Schmidt of Germany, which was offered for sale in 1908 by Bruanti of Poitiers.
First "colossal" dahlia, 'Le Courlisse', appears.
1909
'Coltness Gem' is developed by Wm. Hepburn of Coltness House, Wishaw, near Glascow, Scotland.
1911
"Charm" or miniature paeony dahlias are introduced by Cheal & Sons Crawley, England.
1914
"Star" dahlias are introduced by Cheal.
1919
"Stellar" or modern orchid-flowered dahlia are introduced by L. Martin & Sons of France.
1920
Clematis-flowered type originates with M. Wouters of Holland.
1921
First "Official Classification of Dahlias" is published in the Journal of the Royal Horticultural Society, London, including 16 classes.
1925
ADS accepts the RHS Classification (ADS Bulletin, April 1925), and modern American dahlia growing begins.