Dahlia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, comprising about 30 species and more than ten thousands of cultivars. Dahlia is a bushy, tuberous, perennial plants with showy flowers. It is native to Mexico, Central America, and Colombia. Dahlia is good for displaying or bedding and also for cutting. The hybrids are commonly grown as garden plants. Dahlia displays a wide range of colors, from pale cream-yellow to dark, vibrant red. Some have flowers of more than one color.
Larvae of some Lepidoptera species like Angle Shades, Common Swift, Ghost Moth and Large Yellow Underwing, used dahlia as food plant.
Dahlia needs full sun, fertile, moisture-retentive soil in order to grow beautifully. Aphids, capsid bugs, earwigs, slugs and snails, mildew and virus are the pests and diseases known to attack dahlia plants. Propagation is done through seed in early spring, basal cuttings in spring and division of tubers. Taller plants and those with large, heavy flowerheads will need stalking.
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