Tulip
Tulip, a colorful flowering plant native to the Eastern Hemisphere. Tulips are popular garden flowers, and there are tulips of many different shapes, sizes, and colors available to growers. The tulip is the national flower of the Netherlands.
Tulips are popular garden flowers.Tulips grow from less than one foot (30 cm) to about three feet (90 cm) high. A single blossom is borne at the end of a long stem. There is usually one stem to a plant. The thick, bluish-green leaves grow from the base of the plant. The blossoms, which are bell- or saucer-shaped, can be almost any color except true blue. Many tulips have variegated (many-colored) blossoms; some have variegated leaves as well. The variegation is caused by a virus infection.
Kinds of TulipsTulips are commonly divided into two categoriesspecies tulips (also called wild, or botanical, tulips) and garden tulips, horticultural varieties developed from species tulips. There are about 100 species of tulips and several thousand kinds of garden tulips.
Although most garden tulips have developed through centuries of breeding only two species, other species are constantly being used in an effort to obtain even more garden varieties. Both garden and species tulips are grown by gardeners, but the garden varieties are by far more popular.
Garden tulips are divided into many groups on the basis of such characteristics as color, blooming dates, heights, and blossom shape. Some of the favorite groups include Breeder Tulips, Darwin Tulips, Parrot Tulips, Cottage Tulips, Lily-flowered Tulips, and Early Tulips.
CultivationTulips can be propagated by seeds, but this process is rarely used because it takes several years before a flowering plant results. The most common method of propagation is by bulbs. After a bulb has been in the soil a few years, it develops into a cluster of individual bulbs, which can then be separated and planted individually.
Tulip bulbs are planted in the fallfrom September through December. They are generally planted four to eight inches (10 to 20 cm) apart. Tulips grow best in sandy to medium loamy soil and in full sunlight. Depending on the variety, tulips bloom from early April to late May.
Bulbs can be left in the same spot for several years, but long-standing bulbs tend to produce weak plants. Better results are obtained when the bulbs are removed and stored in a cool, dark place, and replanted again in the fall. Sometimes it is preferable to use new bulbs each year. Tulips can also be grown indoors in pots. Most tulip bulbs sold commercially come from Holland.
HistoryTulips were introduced to northern Europe from Turkey in the mid-16th century and soon were taken to Holland. (The word tulip is believed to be derived from the Turkish word for turbanin allusion to the shape of the tulip blossom.) During the first half of the 17th century tulip bulbs became objects of wild speculation and gambling in Holland. It is reported that a single bulb was sold for $10,000. After a few years, the speculation, later referred to as tulipomania, ended because of government intervention.
Tulips make up the genus Tulipa of the lily family, Liliaceae. The two species from which most horticultural varieties are derived are T. suaveolens and T. gesneriana.