Dahlia Form & Size Description
Bloom Type
AN - ANEMONE - One or more rows of ray florets surround a center of elongated tubular discflorets.
BA - BALL - Blooms are ball shaped with uniform florets, involute for most of their length, and fully involute for more than half their length.
C - STRAIGHT CACTUS - Ray florets are narrow at the base, straight, uniform in length and reflex toward the stem, radiating uniformly in all directions from the center.
CO - COLLARETTE - A bloom will have a single row of flat or slightly cupped ray florets arranged in a flat plane, the ray florets will uniformly overlap, preferable in the same direction.
FD - FORMAL DECORATIVE -Ray florets are generally flat, broad, and smooth in a regular arrangement.
IC - INCURVED CACTUS - Ray florets are pointed, uniform in length; they uniformly curve toward the fact of the bloom.
ID - INFORMAL DECORATIVE - Ray florets are twisted, curled, or wavy, and of uniform size in irregular arrangement.
LC - LACINIATED - Ray florets are split at the tip.
MB - MINIATURE BALL - Except for size, miniature ball and ball dahlias possess the same form features.
MS - MIGNON SINGLE - Mignon single dahlias possess the same formation as single dahlias except they have round ray floret tips.
NO - NOVELTY OPEN (Disc) CENTER - Dahlias with characteristics distinct and different from the present classifications. The center should be open.
NX - NOVELTY FULLY DOUBLE - Dahlias with characteristics distinct and different from the present classifications are classified as novelty dahlias. the center should be closed.
OT - ORCHETTE - Blooms embody the involute characteristics of the orchid dahlia form and the petaloid characteristics of the collarette form.
O - ORCHID -A single row of uniform, evenly spaced ray florets arranged in a flat plane surround the disc flowers.
P - POMPON - Except for size, they are similar to the ball description.
PE - PEONY FLOWERING - Two or more rows of ray florets surround the disc flowers. Ray florets adjacent to the disc flowers may be smaller, twisted, and/or curled.
S - SINGLE - The bloom has a single row of flat or slightly cupped ray florets arranged in a flat plane.
SC - SEMI-CACTUS - Ray florets are broad at the base, straight or incurved, and reflex toward the stem in a regular and uniform arrangement.
ST - STELLAR - Ray florets break gradually from immature florets to fully developed outer ray florets. The outer florets should be narrow and involute with a slight recurve to the stem.
WL - WATERLILY - The bloom should be fully double and symmetrical; the side view should be flat to saucer-shaped in arrangement, and the layer of florets should be open faced to give a delicate appearance. the center should be closed and dome-shaped.
Bloom Type
Size | Symbol | Description |
Giant | AA | Over 10" in diameter |
Large | A | Over 8 to 10 inches in diameter |
Medium | B | Over 6 to 8 inches in diameter |
Small | BB | over 4 to 6 inches in diameter |
Miniature | M | Up to 4 inches in diameter |
Ball | BA | Up to 4 inches in diameter |
Miniature Ball | MB | Over 2 to 3.5 inches in diameter |
Pompon | P | Up to 2 inches in diameter |
Mignon Single | MS | Up to 2 inches in diameter |
Color Abbreviations
BI - Bicolor
BR - Bronze
DB - Dark Blend
DP - Dark Pink
DR - Dark Red
FL - Flame
L - Lavender
LB - Light blend
OR - Orange
PK - Pink
PR - Purple
R - Red
V - Variegated
W - White
Y - Yellow