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Tulipa Miscellaneous

("Tulip")

Not a variety group, but the collection of all species, varieties and their cultivars in which the wild species is evident, not belonging to any of the other 14 variety groups. For ease of reference we have listed the commercially available species separately under 'Botanical Tulips'.

What You Need To Know Before You Plant:

About the Family

Tulipa Family

The genus's native range ranges from as far West as Southern Europe, North Africa, Anatolia and Iran to the Northwest of China. The tulip's centre of diversity is in the Pamir, Hindu Kush and Tien Shan mountains. Although tulips are nowadays often associated with The Netherlands, commercial cultivation of the bulbs and flowers began during the Ottoman Empire. The name is ultimately derived from the Persian 'dulband' (turban). These days it is by far the most popular bulbous plant. Tulips are to Holland what champagne is to France: a national treasure. Cultivated there since the end of the 16th Century, tulips are grown by the billions (capital B) today, with the majority of them being exported either as bulbs or as cut flowers. Currently there are more than 3,000 cultivated varieties registered, with more being added (after sometimes years of hybridizing- and selection-procedures) to replace older varieties or to introduce yet another brand new type or color combination.