Editing Dahlia (section)

==="Stars of the Devil"===
In 1872 J. T. van der Berg of Utrecht in the Netherlands received a shipment of seeds and plants from a friend in Mexico. The entire shipment was badly rotted and appeared to be ruined, but van der Berg examined it carefully and found a small piece of root that seemed alive. He planted and carefully tended it; it grew into a plant that he identified as a dahlia. He made cuttings from the plant during the winter of 1872–1873. This was an entirely different type of flower, with rich, red color and a high degree of doubling. In 1874 van der Berg catalogued it for sale, calling it ''Dahlia juarezii'' to honor Mexican President [[Benito Pablo Juarez]], who had died the year before, and described it as "...equal to the beautiful color of the red poppy. Its form is very outstanding and different in every respect of all known dahlia flowers."<ref>van der Berg, J. T., "Dahlia juarezii", ''Gardeners Chronicle'', 1879.</ref>

This plant has perhaps had a greater influence on the popularity of the modern dahlia than any other. Called "Les Etoiles du Diable" (Stars of the Devil)<ref>"Die Dahlien. Ihre Geschichte, Kultur and Verwendung", ''German Dahlia Society'', Ch. VIII, 1926.</ref> in France and "Cactus dahlia" elsewhere, the edges of its petals rolled backwards, rather than forward, and this new form revolutionized the dahlia world. It was thought to be a distinct mutation since no other plant that resembled it could be found in the wild.<ref>Michigan Special Bulletin #266. Ag. Exp. Sta. Mich. St. Col. 1935.</ref> Today it is assumed that ''D.&nbsp;juarezii'' had, at one time, existed in Mexico and subsequently disappeared. Nurserymen in Europe crossbred this plant with dahlias discovered earlier; the results became the progenitors of all modern dahlia hybrids today.{{sfn|Weland|2015|loc=p.&nbsp;40}}