How Dahlias Could Rival the Sugar Beet as a Source of Sugar

Most people know two crops cultivated for their high sugar content: sugar beet and sugarcane, the latter thriving in warmer climates.

But a surprising contender has joined them — a plant whose tubers store only slightly less sugar than beet roots. It hasn’t been through any deliberate breeding, so it’s hard to predict what people might one day develop from it.

The rival to the sugar beet is the dahlia, a flower Europeans first encountered in the garden of the Mexican ruler Montezuma centuries ago.

Experts believe cultivating dahlias for sugar could be quite profitable. And with every package of sugar, dahlias could provide a delightful bonus — a bouquet of beautiful flowers!