dahliat

Dahliat is a fictional genus of flowering plants created for speculative fiction, design fiction, and fictional botany projects. It does not correspond to any formally described taxon in real-world botanical nomenclature.

In fictional accounts, dahliat species are herbaceous perennials with upright stems, typically reaching one to 1.2 meters. Leaves are often lobed or pinnate. Inflorescences are large composite heads, resembling dahlias but with distinctive traits such as irregular ray florets and sometimes bi-color centers.

Taxonomy within the fiction works is deliberately variable. Some writers place dahliat in the family Asteraceae, while others treat it as a separate, monogeneric lineage to emphasize its imaginary status.

Ecology and habitat are similarly variable across narratives. Dahliat is imagined to thrive in sunny, well-drained soils and to be pollinated by bees or butterflies; some stories depict drought-tolerant species in alpine or desert settings.

Cultivation, uses, and symbolism appear in stories as ornamental crops in gardens, botanical puzzles for researchers, and motifs representing resilience or beauty. Propagation methods in fiction include seeds and rhizomes, with climate adaptation a common plot device.