2026 

Dahlias: Australian Cultivars

Mint Unhinged Mini Sheet

Overview

Dahlia is a genus of bushy, tuberous, herbaceous perennial plants native to Mexico and Central America, where they were used for food, medicine and to carry water (in the hollow stems). They are members of the Asteraceae family, along with sunflowers, daisies, chrysanthemums and zinnias. Today the Dahlia is the national flower of Mexico. 

The name Dahlia is in honour of Swedish botanist Anders Dahl (1751–1789), a student of the famous taxonomist Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778). From the early 1830s, thousands of new forms were developed in Europe. Dahlias were introduced to Australia from Britain in the early nineteenth century. Today there are Dahlia societies across the country. 

Due to Dahlias’ genetic makeup, it is easy to create new cultivars (cultivated varieties, created by selecting for desired traits). This characteristic, their longevity as cut flowers, and the fact that they can grow in a range of climates, makes them popular among gardeners in many parts of the world, including Australia.  

Today there are thought to be forty-two distinct species of Dahlia across the world, and some 65,000 registered cultivars, in a vast range of shapes, sizes and colours. Australian enthusiasts and plant-breeders have created many popular and commercially successful Dahlia cultivars, and this stamp issue pays tribute to their efforts.

The Stamps

$1.70 Bracken Palomino

Bracken Palomino is a decorative-type Dahlia, bred in about 1999 by the late Mr Neville Naumann of Bracken Ridge, Queensland. Like many plant breeders, Mr Naumann used the one prefix when naming his cultivars, in this case derived from the place where he lived. Many of his Dahlias are still grown today, in Australia and around the world, and have won numerous prizes. Photograph by Heidi Cooper, Dahlias of Australia. 

$1.70 Nayap

Nayap is an anemone-type Dahlia, bred in Blackburn, Victoria, by the late Mr William ‘Bill’ Johnson. Mr Johnson had a worldwide influence on the breeding of anemone Dahlias, with many named in his honour. The unusual names of his own cultivars were created by combining letters from his unique coding system, to signify different colours and types. Photograph by Heidi Cooper, Dahlias of Australia. 


$1.70 Wangolina Semillon

Wangolina Semillon was bred in 2022 by Anita Goode of South Australia, who is also a winemaker on her family vineyard ‘Wangolina’ on the limestone coast, south-east of Adelaide. Photograph Southern Highlands Flower Farm. 


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