THE SCENTED DAHLIA

Southland Times, Issue 21607, 20 January 1932, Page 10

THE SCENTED DAHLIA

Although first introduced so recently as 1908, this promising dahlia was almost lost to cultivation until rescued from obscurity in an English nursery in 1928. A native of Mexico, it was distributed under the name D. coronata by Continental nurserymen, and was later stated to be a form of D. coccinea, but although similar in some respects it is nevertheless quite distinct from this species and superior as a garden plant. Of elegant habit, D. coronata grows to a height of five or six feet, with foliage which is finer and more decorative than that of the garden dahlia. The flowers are from two and a-half to four inches across, and are profusely borne on strong, smooth penduncles one and a-half to two and a-half feet long. Unlike so many short-stemmed garden varieties whose flowers are lost in the foliage, the penduncles of the scented dahlia rise to their full height above the foliage, so that the flowers are displayed to perfection. The flower colour varies from scarlet orange to deep scarlet. The ray petals usually curve slightly inward, and close entirely at night time, but flat-rayed forms occur and are more desirable. The odour which was originally described as “sweet” and “honey-scented,” is quite pronounced on warm, sunny days. At the time of its introduction, D. coronata was considered a valuable plant for hybridization on account of its scent. It cannot be crossed, however, with the garden dahlia except on the rarest occasions. One hybrid I have raised has flame-col-oured flowers, and, although vigorous, is highly sterile and will not cross with either of the parent species. Two other hybrids from open pollenation have yet to flower. On the other hand, D. coronata and D. coccinea cross naturally and give fertile intermediate forms. Eight such hybrids are now in flower and show variation in form and colour.

It should be possible by selection and breeding to improve considerably the range of flower colour, size, form, and scent in D. coronata, as the combination of scented flowers and various colours with an attractive habit is highly desirable. Cultivation is the same as for the garden forms, the flowering season commencing in July and lasting until the autumn frosts. —W. J. C. Lawrence, John Innes Horticultural Institution, in the Gardeners’ Chronicle.