Botanical symbolism and the rich meanings of dahlias

Queen of Commitment and Betrayal in a corner of my studio

Last month I photographed a pink dahlia blossom and took the time to read up on the history and meanings of dahlias. Until doing so, I didn’t know a thing about them other than that they’re beautiful and have a lot of visual depth. Dahlias are natives of the high plains of Mexico and Central America and made their way to Europe about 200 years ago. The variety among dahlias is vast - according to Wikipedia, there are 42 species! Dahlias have such diversity because they're “octoploids", meaning that they have 8 sets of chromosomes, whereas most plants have only two sets. The flowers range in size from two inches in diameter, all the way up to a foot (12"!) in diameter, known as the "dinner plates". Yum, but also I'm thinking, intense.

It turns out there are official dahlia societies throughout the world, all manner of groups devoted to their care and cultivation. There are commissions, publications, exhibitions and judging & award ceremonies. I suppose this is true of so many of the things that we humans cherish. I learned that the dahlia is the official flower of San Francisco! There is a Dahlia Society of California, The American Dahlia Society, the National Dahlia Society in the UK, and on and on. Mexico declared the dahlia its official flower, but not until 1963.

While all of these things are interesting, I most enjoy reading about the symbolism and meanings associated with dahlias. There are, in a word, a ton ;). However, in the interest of time and attention spans, here are a small handful according to the website dahlia.org (The American Dahlia Society):

• Commitment to another person or to a certain ideal

• Staying graceful under pressure, especially in challenging situations

• Traveling and making a major life change in a positive way

• Betrayal*

* This last point about betrayal is associated with the “black dahlia”, however, technical detail —> black dahlias are actually a deep burgundy color.

Inspired by symbolism, I named my first dahlia photograph ‘Queen of Commitment and Betrayal’. You can view more in situ images and purchase this print in my online store by clicking here.

With so much variety among dahlias, I intend to revisit them in my work and imagine I’ll do a photo series on these celebrated flowers. Be sure to stay in touch by signing up to my email list if you haven’t done so already, and reply back if you’d like to share any thoughts.

~ Thanks for visiting, L ~