Stanford Dahlia Project Dahlia Hybridization History Timeline

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.