This garden flower is named after an 18th -century Swedish botanist, Andrew Dahl, who was a pupil of Carolus Linnaeus. The latter was the author of the system of classification of plants and animals still used nowadays. In fact, the flower is native to Central and South America. Back from a journey to Mexico, in 1784, Andrew Dahl brought specimens to Sweden where he cultivated them , initially, in greenhouses. Once the plant became acclimatized, dahlias began to be cultivated throughout Europe and as a matter of course, they were named after their "father"! Hence, they spread to Spain and Portugal as dalias. The Germans, in turn, were delighted with the dahlie , whereas the British would cultivate the same dahlias as the French.

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