Scientific/Botanical Name:
Genus: Tulipa
Specie:
Variety/Cultivar:
English Name:
Common Name:
tulip
Botanical Family:
Name in Latin: Liliaceae
Name in English: The Lily Family
The Plant
Origin: native range extends from as far west as Southern Europe, North Africa, Anatolia, and Iran to the Northwest of China
Growth Habit: perennial, bulbous plant. The showy, generally cup- or star-shaped tulip flower has three petals and three sepals, which are often termed tepals because they are nearly identical. These six tepals are often marked near the bases with darker colorings. Tulip flowers come in a wide variety of colors, except pure blue
Flower: flowers usually bloom on scapes or subscapose stems that lack bracts.
Blooming Period: spring-blooming
Leaf: The tulip's leaf is strap-shaped, with a waxy coating, and leaves are alternately arranged on the stem. These fleshy blades are often bluish green in color.
Usage:
Spring beds, forced bulbs inside, cut flowers.
Care and Handling
Soil: Tulip bulbs are typically planted around late summer and fall, in well-drained soils, normally from 4 inches (10 cm) to 8 inches (20 cm) deep
Amount of water: Avoid over-watering
Nutrition: It is not necessary.
Special handling: There are about 100 species and thousands of cultivars. Although very popular, it is not always easy to grow. Gardeners in warm climates find they do not have the cold temperatures required to initiate bloom and except for the first year after purchasing may only see leaves. To continue to have blooming plants, bulbs must be lifted and refrigerated for 4 to 6 weeks before planting in late fall.
Special feature/remarks:
The term "tulip mania" is now often used metaphorically to refer to any large economic bubble