What is "dahlia"

Dahlia \Dah"lia\ (d[aum]l"y[.a] or d[=a]l"y[.a]; 277, 106), n.; pl. Dahlias. [Named after Andrew Dahl a Swedish botanist.] (Bot.) A genus of plants native to Mexico and Central America, of the order Composit[ae]; also, any plant or flower of the genus. The numerous varieties of cultivated dahlias bear conspicuous flowers which differ in color.

1804, named 1791 by Spanish botanist Antonio José Cavanilles for Anders Dahl (1751-1789), Swedish botanist and pupil of Linnaeus, who discovered it in Mexico in 1788. The likelihood that a true blue variety of the flower never could be cultivated was first proposed by French-Swiss botanist Augustin Pyramus de Candolle, and noted in English by 1835; hence blue dahlia, figurative expression for "something impossible or unattainable" (1866).

n. (given name female from=English).

n. any of several plants of or developed from the species Dahlia pinnata having tuberous roots and showy rayed variously colored flower heads; native to the mountains of Mexico and Central America and Colombia [syn: Dahlia pinnata]

Dahlia ( or ) is a genus of bushy, tuberous, herbaceous perennial plants native to Mexico. A member of the Asteraceae (or Compositae), dicotyledonous plants, related species include the sunflower, daisy, chrysanthemum, and zinnia. There are 42 species of dahlia, with hybrids commonly grown as garden plants. Flower forms are variable, with one head per stem; these can be as small as diameter or up to ("dinner plate"). This great variety results from dahlias being octoploids—that is, they have eight sets of homologous chromosomes, whereas most plants have only two. In addition, dahlias also contain many transposons—genetic pieces that move from place to place upon an allele—which contributes to their manifesting such great diversity.

The stems are leafy, ranging in height from as low as to more than . The majority of species do not produce scented flowers or cultivars. Like most plants that do not attract pollinating insects through scent, they are brightly colored, displaying most hues, with the exception of blue.

The dahlia was declared the national flower of Mexico in 1963. The tubers were grown as a food crop by the Aztecs, but this use largely died out after the Spanish Conquest. Attempts to introduce the tubers as a food crop in Europe were unsuccessful.

Dahlia is the fifth studio album by the Japanese heavy metal band X Japan, released on November 4, 1996 by Atlantic Records. It is the band's last album before breaking up the following year, and the last to feature new work by guitarist hide, due to his death two years later. The album is composed largely of ballads, with only a few tracks retaining the band's heavier musical traits seen on previous releases. It topped the Oricon chart and stayed on the chart for only 15 weeks, but managed to sell over half a million copies. Seven, nearly all, of the album's songs were released as singles, most of which also topped the singles chart and sold well.

"Dahlia" is the thirteenth single by Japanese heavy metal band X Japan, released on February 26, 1996.

Dahlia is a genus of moths of the Noctuidae family.

Dahlia is a genus of plants.

Dahlia may also refer to:

Animals:

• Dahlia (moth), a genus of moths
• Dahlia anemone, a sea anemone

People:

• Dahlia Duhaney (born 1970), Jamaican sprinter
• Dahlia Lithwick, Canadian contributing editor at Newsweek and senior editor at Slate
• Dahlia Ravikovitch (1936-2005), Israeli poet and peace activist
• Dahlia Salem (born 1971), American actress

Fictional characters:

• Aunt Dahlia Travers, in the Jeeves novels of P.G. Wodehouse
• Dahlia Gillespie, in the Silent Hill series
• Dahlia Hawthorne, in the Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney series
• Dahlia Lynley-Chivers, in the Sookie Stackhouse series

In horse racing:

• Dahlia (horse), a thoroughbred racehorse
• Dahlia Stakes, a horse race in Great Britain
• Dahlia Stakes (United States), a thoroughbred horse race in Maryland
• Dahlia Handicap, a thoroughbred race in California

Other uses:

• USS Dahlia (1862), a tugboat in the American Civil War
• Dahlia (album), by the band X Japan
• "Dahlia" (song), by X Japan

Dahlia (March 25, 1970 – 6 April 2001) was an American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She won major races in France, England, Ireland, Canada, and the United States. She was the first Thoroughbred mare to earn more than $1 million and was one of the pioneers of inter-continental racing.

Originally trained in France, she showed early promise by winning the Prix Yacowlef on her debut as a two-year-old but failed to win again that year. In the following season she developed into a top-class middle-distance performer, winning the Prix de la Grotte, Prix Saint-Alary and Irish Oaks against her own sex before defeating male opposition King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Prix Niel and Washington, D.C. International. She was voted British horse of the year and was the equal-top-rated three-year-old filly in Europe. In the following year she won a second King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes as well as the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, Benson and Hedges Gold Cup, Man O' War Stakes and Canadian International Stakes. She was voted British horse of the year for a second time and took the Eclipse Award for Champion Turf Horse. She was less successful at five but did record an upset victory over Grundy to take a second Benson and Hedges Gold Cup. She was transferred to the United States and won the Hollywood Invitational Handicap.

After her retirement from racing she became a very successful broodmare, producing several major winners. She died in 2001 at the age of 31. Dahlia has been inducted into both the United States Racing Hall of Fame and the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.