Tulip

Tulip: Tulipa

Tulips (or 'Dutch tulips') are a variety of bulb flower originating from the Pamir and Hindukush region in Asia, but more recently from Turkey. The first European cultivation of the tulip as a garden flower occurred in the Netherlands, where the early enthusiasm for the new flowers triggered a speculative frenzy now known as the tulipomania. The Netherlands and tulips are still associated with one another.

Tulips cannot be grown in hot climates, as they require cold nights and a cold winter to grow successfully. Tulips often have a striped or variegated[?] flower, as in the illustration. This is primarily due to a viral infection of the bulb, so such striped varieties do not breed true from seed.

Random mutations often occur in the tulip bulb, creating new shades and variations in the flowers. These mutated bulbs used to be extremely valuable, as they could be used to establish a new line of tulips with a new and interesting colour.

cultivars : Tulipa batalinii 'Bronze Charm'