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Dahlia

Flora
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A tuberous plant with large, showy flowers in varied forms and colors, from simple to elaborately layered.

Detailed Definition
Dahlias symbolize elegance, dignity, and commitment in poetry. Their spectacular blooms and late-season flowering make them represent culmination and mature beauty. The flower's development from simple indigenous Mexican plant to elaborate cultivated forms reflects themes of transformation and human influence on nature. In Victorian poetry, dahlias suggested lasting bonds. Modern poets may use dahlias to explore cultivation, excess, or the spectacular beauties that arrive when simpler flowers have faded, representing autumn's particular gifts.
Example
Example in poetry:
Dahlia's complex, geometric blooms symbolize elegance, dignity, and commitment in formal poetry; The flower's Mexican origins and Aztec cultivation add exotic and historical dimensions; In Victorian language, dahlias represent lasting bonds and instability, creating poetic tension; The incredible variety of dahlia forms (pompom, cactus, waterlily) provides rich descriptive opportunities; Dahlias blooming late summer into fall represent maturity and sustained beauty; The need to lift dahlia tubers in cold climates symbolizes care, preservation, and cyclical renewal
Additional Notes
Dahlia is associated with late summer and autumn gardens and is prized for its extravagant geometry: layered petals, tight symmetry, and bold colour blocks. In poetry it can represent cultivated splendour, theatricality, or the artifice of the ornamental, especially set against waning light and shortening days. Because dahlias grow from tubers, they can also support imagery of hidden stores and return: what is buried, survives, and re-emerges.
Also Known As
Georgina (historic name)
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