Dahlia

Latin plant name Dahlia Common plant name Plant type Semievergreen bulbous herbaceous flowering plant  Size (meters) < 1 m Distinguishing features The flowers can have different colours and shapes. They do not have scent. Like most plants that do not attract pollinating insects through scent, they are brightly colored, displaying most hues, with the exception of blue. They are the official flower of Mexico. In the first trips of Hernán Cortés to Mexico, he reported they were used for a food source by the indigenous peoples, and were both gathered in the wild and cultivated. The Aztecs used them to treat epilepsy and employed the long hollow stem of the (Dahlia imperalis) for water pipes.