Compact single-flowered seed strains include 'Mignon', 'Piccolo' and 'Coltness'. There are many double and semidouble hybrids, often sold according to the flower shape as 'Cactus', 'Decorative' or 'Pompon' dahlias. Redskin' has bronze foliage.
Most series are available in many single colors and mixtures.
They were first promoted as food crops for their edible tubers, but didn't please the European palates and were almost forgotten. With a little royal help from Empress Josephine at her gardens at Malmaison they started gaining popularity as ornamentals. The first species were tall and single-flowered, but in 1800's new double forms were bred in varied colors, especially in Germany. They were grown as perennials and propagated by division of the fleshy tubers. The compact bedding dahlias grown from seed, as we know them today, were first produced in this century.