Tulip or Tulipa

The diversity of Tulip can provide unlimited options for the garden. Tulipa kaufmanniana, the water lily tulip are beautiful plants for the border. Tulips bloom from early spring into early summer and will make a color splash like no other flower.

Tulip or Tulipa is a herbaceous, bulbous perennial. It blooms in spring. And it goes dormant in summer. It has large showy flowers in a range of colors. Generally red, pink, yellow, and white. But there are many other varieties. It is a member of the Liliaceae family of plants.

The name Tulip is from the Persian word for turban. They are native to a wide range of areas from Southern Europe to Central Asia. They have been cultivated since the 10th century. They are captured in many paintings for hundreds of years. During cultivation, a tulip breaking virus created variegated patterns.

Tulip has few leaves. Usually there two to six. The leaves are carline, and strap-shaped. The flowers are actinomorphic or radially symmetrical. They are also hermaphrodite. The fruit of the tulip is a capsule with a thick leather surface. The seeds are flat-shaped.

There are Tulips from 6 inches to 1 and 1/2 ft. Usually, early-season bloomers are the Early Singles 12 to 15 inches tall flowering in mid-April and the early doubles that bloom by the end of April. Followed by Mendel and Triumph varieties. Then Darwin and Parrots are tall and beautiful. Tulips should be planted 4″ deep and 6″ apart.