 Dahlias
come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and colors, and are
prolific bloomers. They are native to Mexico where they were grown
by the Aztecs. They are grown from tubers (which are actually edible,
and were briefly grown as an alternative to the potato.
A tuber is an enlarged fleshy root. Roots are fleshy because, they are the primary storage tissue. Dahlias have lots of different "faces." Some popular dahlia types are illustrated on the left (clockwise from lower left): tiny pompon, double cactus (incurved type), collarette, single, and double formal decorative (in center). In our part of the world, the winters are too cold to the leave the tubers in the ground - they would freeze and die. So, each spring the second graders plant the dahlia tubers. In the fall, when you are in the third grade, you will help to dig up the dahlia plants and see how the one tuber you plant today will have multiplied many times over. |