Beautiful Tulips

The Beautiful Tulips are probably one of the most popular, widely grown and easily recognized groups of spring flowering plants. The history of Beautiful Tulips
in cultivation is long and distinguished, but even the most highly bred and flamboyant tulips can trace their roots back to "wild" tulips. There are approximately 100 of these wild or species tulips that occur naturally in the world, and from these arose the thousands of distinctly different hybrids and selections that grace gardens around the world.

The scientific name for this group of bulbous plants is tulipa and was assigned by the famous Swedish botanist Linnaeus in the mid 1700's. The vast majority of species, however, occurs in central and western Asia in countries such as Turkey, Afghanistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Georgia, among others. East of this center of distribution, the range of a couple of species extends into northern India and far western China, but on a limited basis. Understanding the climate of their homeland is helpful in understanding the structure and life cycle of Beautiful Tulips.

The Beautiful Tulips , and many other plants in that region, rely on underground storage organs, such as bulbs, to survive the long period of dormancy. Technically speaking, not all plants that we refer to as bulbs are true bulbs. For example, crocus and gladiolus arise from corms, dahlias from tuberous roots, and certain begonias from tubers, even though these are all commonly referred to as "bulbs". However, many of our most beloved spring flowering bulbs are true bulbs including hyacinths, daffodils, and, of course, Beautiful Tulips. The fleshy, modified leaves are responsible for food storage and protecting the bud. The outermost layer is a dry, papery, reddish-brown coat known as the tunic. Overall, this structure enables the plant to survive in a dry, dormant state for many months, whether that be in central Asia or in a colorful box on a garden center shelf!.