If you would like to support this site, please consider Donating.
Useful Tropical Plants

Dahlia coccinea

Cav.

Asteraceae

+ Synonyms

Bidens cervantesii B.D.Jacks.

Bidens coccinea (Cav.) Baill.

Dahlia bidentifolia Salisb.

Dahlia crocea coccinea (Cav.) Poir.

Dahlia frustranea W.T.Aiton

Dahlia pinnata coccinea (Cav.) Voss

Georgia coccinea (Cav.) Spreng.

Georgina coccinea (Cav.) Willd.

Georgina frustranea DC.

Bidens cervantesii Baill.

Dahlia acutiflora Moc. & Sessé ex DC.

Dahlia cervantesii (Lag. ex Sweet) Lag. ex DC.

Dahlia chisholmii Rose

Dahlia coronata Sprague

Dahlia crocata Sessé ex Lag.

Dahlia crocea (Willd.) Poir.

Dahlia gentryi Sherff

Dahlia gracilis Ortgies

Dahlia lutea Van den Berg

Dahlia pinnata cervantesii (Lag. ex Sweet) Voss

Dahlia pinnata gracilis (Ortgies) Voss

Dahlia popenovii Saff.

Dahlia yuarezii Van den Berg

Georgina cervantesii Lag. ex Sweet

Georgina crocata (Sessé ex Lag.) Sweet

Common Name:

No Image.

General Information

Dahlia coccinea is an erect herbaceous plant with unbranched to sparsely branched stems; it can grow 50 - 150cm tall, occasionally reaching 300cm[
331
Title
Flora of Guatemala
Publication
 
Author
Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark
Website
http://www.archive.org/
Publisher
 
Year
1946 - 1976
ISBN
 
Description
A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/
,
2176
Title
Revision of the Genus Dahlia (Compositae, Heliantheae - Coreopsidinae) Part 2
Publication
Rhodora Vol. 71, July-September 1969, No. 787 pp 367-416
Author
Sorensen P.D.
Publisher
 
Year
1969
ISBN
 
Description
 
].
The tuberous roots were commonly used for food and medicine in pre-Columbian Mexico, and are still eaten to a limited extent in the present day[
1839
Title
Use and Nutritional Composition of some Traditional Mountain Pima Plant Foods
Publication
J. Ethnobiol. 11(1):93-114 Summer 1991
Author
Laferriere J.E.; Weber C.W. & Kohlhepp E.A.
Publisher
 
Year
1991
ISBN
 
Description
 
]. Gathered from the wild, they are sometimes sold in local markets[
2174
Title
The Medicinal and Nutritional Properties of Dahlia spp.
Publication
Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 14 (1985) 75-82
Author
Whitley G.R.
Publisher
 
Year
1985
ISBN
 
Description
 
]. The plant, however, is now more likely to be cultivated for its ornamental red, orange, or yellow flowers[
1438
Title
Food Plants in the Americas: A Survey of the Domesticated, Cultivated, and Wild Plants Used for Human Food in North,
Publication
 
Author
Kermath B.M.; Bennett B.C.' Pulsipher L.M.
Publisher
 
Year
2014
ISBN
 
Description
A pre-publication draft of an amazing, on-going work first started in 1985. It contains information on more than 3,900 taxa from the Americas - from Arctic regions to the Tropics
].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

331
Title
Flora of Guatemala
Publication
 
Author
Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark
Website
http://www.archive.org/
Publisher
 
Year
1946 - 1976
ISBN
 
Description
A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/
,
2176
Title
Revision of the Genus Dahlia (Compositae, Heliantheae - Coreopsidinae) Part 2
Publication
Rhodora Vol. 71, July-September 1969, No. 787 pp 367-416
Author
Sorensen P.D.
Publisher
 
Year
1969
ISBN
 
Description
 

Range

C. America - El Salvador, Belize, Guatemala; southern N. America - Mexico

Habitat

Damp or dry, often rocky, open or brushy slopes, often in oak or pine-oak forest; at elevations from 1,100 - 3,000 metres[
331
Title
Flora of Guatemala
Publication
 
Author
Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark
Website
http://www.archive.org/
Publisher
 
Year
1946 - 1976
ISBN
 
Description
A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/
].

Properties

Edibility Rating *  *
Medicinal Rating *  *
HabitPerennial
Height1.00 m
PollinatorsInsects
Self-fertileNo
Cultivation StatusOrnamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Most Dahlia species in Mexico grow at moderate to higher elevations, typically above 2,100 metres in southern Mexico, where there can be rapid changes in temperature, but no frosts[
2174
Title
The Medicinal and Nutritional Properties of Dahlia spp.
Publication
Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 14 (1985) 75-82
Author
Whitley G.R.
Publisher
 
Year
1985
ISBN
 
Description
 
]. The dahlia’s home area in the volcanic highlands of southern Mexico is hot and dry during the winter months but the rainy season during summer is characterized by afternoon thunderstorms. Also, dahlias are adapted to grow while being bathed in dew from the low hanging clouds[
2174
Title
The Medicinal and Nutritional Properties of Dahlia spp.
Publication
Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 14 (1985) 75-82
Author
Whitley G.R.
Publisher
 
Year
1985
ISBN
 
Description
 
].
Dahlia species in the wild are generally found on well-drained hillsides, rough banks and cliffs. The soil is typically a soft, porous and sandy loam with a gravelly subsoil which is often volcanic and mildly acidic[
2174
Title
The Medicinal and Nutritional Properties of Dahlia spp.
Publication
Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 14 (1985) 75-82
Author
Whitley G.R.
Publisher
 
Year
1985
ISBN
 
Description
 
].
Dahlia tubers are worth some experimentation as a root crop either for food or for sugar production since their root sugar content is quite respectable even without artificial selection. For example, up to 15 sweet potato-sized tubers, containing as much as 13% fruit sugar, can be produced by a single plant in one season under optimum conditions. This high sugar content, even among wild dahlias, compares favorably with sugar beets, even though sugar beets have been scientifically selected so that their sugar content has been increased from 7% to 20%. Such scientific breeding could lead to a similar increase in the sugar content of dahlias if they become recognized as a worthwhile agricultural plant[
2174
Title
The Medicinal and Nutritional Properties of Dahlia spp.
Publication
Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 14 (1985) 75-82
Author
Whitley G.R.
Publisher
 
Year
1985
ISBN
 
Description
 
].

Edible Uses

Tuberous roots were eaten in pre-Columbian Mexico[
1438
Title
Food Plants in the Americas: A Survey of the Domesticated, Cultivated, and Wild Plants Used for Human Food in North,
Publication
 
Author
Kermath B.M.; Bennett B.C.' Pulsipher L.M.
Publisher
 
Year
2014
ISBN
 
Description
A pre-publication draft of an amazing, on-going work first started in 1985. It contains information on more than 3,900 taxa from the Americas - from Arctic regions to the Tropics
].
There are contradictory reports regarding the edibility of Dahlia tubers, ranging from sweet and juicy to extremely bitter, hot and dry tasting and virtually inedible. This could be due to the time of year the tubers are harvested. If gathered at the beginning of the rainy season - after the inulin had been converted by enzymatic action to produce fruit sugar and before the rapid growth of the tall stalk had depleted the tubers of food - then the tubers would, indeed, have been sweet tasting and juicy. In the second case, if the tubers were gathered late in the growing season or at the beginning of the dry season - before the return of the plants’ food and water resources back into the tubers for storage -then the medicinal constituents of the depleted tubers (especially the skin) could have been expected to give a potent and unpleasant taste. In short, dahlia tubers to be eaten raw immediately should be harvested in the spring, and those intended for medicinal use should be gathered later in the summer when the growing season is well advanced but before the start of the dry season and those intended for baking or storage as food should be gathered well after the start of the dry season when the upper parts of the plant have wilted down in the manner of potato stalks and the tubers are full of inulin, which keeps well[
2174
Title
The Medicinal and Nutritional Properties of Dahlia spp.
Publication
Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 14 (1985) 75-82
Author
Whitley G.R.
Publisher
 
Year
1985
ISBN
 
Description
 
].

An essential oil found in the tubers yields benzoic acid. This is probably the main active ingredient in the plant. It has been used as a food preservative as well as a topical keratolytic fungicide/bactericide, an antiseptic mouth-wash, a diuretic and an expectorant. It is rapidly excreted from the body as hippuric acid, and in large doses increases the output of uric acid. It is actively germicidal at pH 3.5 but only bacteristatic at pH 5.0. Exfoliation of the upper layers of skin is produced by keratolytic action.
This desquamation makes deep infections such as athlete’s foot and ringworm of the scalp accessible to even more potent ingredients which may be mixed in with benzoic acid in an ointment[
2174
Title
The Medicinal and Nutritional Properties of Dahlia spp.
Publication
Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 14 (1985) 75-82
Author
Whitley G.R.
Publisher
 
Year
1985
ISBN
 
Description
 
].
Eriodictyol, an active ingredient first found in the plant Eriodictyon californicum, has been used as a bitter tonic, expectorant, astringent, and in the treatment of asthma[
2174
Title
The Medicinal and Nutritional Properties of Dahlia spp.
Publication
Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 14 (1985) 75-82
Author
Whitley G.R.
Publisher
 
Year
1985
ISBN
 
Description
 
].

Medicinal

The tubers have antibiotic and antiatherogenic (used to treat atherosclerosis) properties, and also act as central nervous system depressants[
1839
Title
Use and Nutritional Composition of some Traditional Mountain Pima Plant Foods
Publication
J. Ethnobiol. 11(1):93-114 Summer 1991
Author
Laferriere J.E.; Weber C.W. & Kohlhepp E.A.
Publisher
 
Year
1991
ISBN
 
Description
 
].
The tubers were used traditionally as a tonic, diuretic and diaphoretic, and used in the treatment of colics and flatulence. The roots were said to be soft, full of juice like the ones of the day-lilly, somewhat yellow inside, resinous and sweet tasting[
2174
Title
The Medicinal and Nutritional Properties of Dahlia spp.
Publication
Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 14 (1985) 75-82
Author
Whitley G.R.
Publisher
 
Year
1985
ISBN
 
Description
 
].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - usually germinates in 1 - 3 weeks at 20°c[
164
Title
Growing from Seed. Volume 4.
Publication
 
Author
Bird. R. (Editor)
Publisher
Thompson and Morgan.
Year
1990
ISBN
-
Description
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Yuccas, one on Sagebrush (Artemesia spp) and another on Chaerophyllum bulbosum.
]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on until large enough to plant out.
Cuttings of young shoots as new growth begins.
Division of the tubers when dormant. Each portion should have a growing point[
200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-11-10. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Dahlia+coccinea>

Add a Comment:

If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.