Tulips
are spring-blooming perennials that grow from bulbs. Depending on the
species, tulip plants can grow as short as 4 inches (10 cm) or as high
as 28 inches (71 cm). The tulip's large flowers usually bloom on scapes.
Most tulips produce only one flower per stem, but a few species bear
multiple flowers on their scapes. 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. Tulip stems have few
leaves. Plants typically have 2 to 6 leaves, with some species having
up to 12. The tulip's leaf is strap-shaped, with a waxy coating, and
leaves are alternately arranged on the stem.
During
the Ottoman Empire, the tulip became very popular in Ottoman
territories and was seen as a symbol of abundance. In fact, the era
during which the Ottoman Empire was wealthiest is often called the Tulip
era or Lale Devri in Turkish. In classic and modern Persian literature,
sp ecial
attention has been given to these beautiful flowers, and in recent
times, tulips have featured in the poems of Simin Behbahani. However,
the tulip was a topic for Persian poets as far back as the thirteenth
century.
The
Black Tulip is the title of a historical romance by the French author
Alexandre Dumas, père. The story takes place in the Dutch city of
Haarlem, where a reward is offered to the first grower who can produce a
truly black tulip.
Every
spring, there are several tulip festivals in North America, including
the Tulip Time Festival in Holland, Michigan, the Skagit Valley Tulip
Festival in Skagit Valley, Washington, the Tulip Time Festival in Orange
City and Pella, Iowa, and the Canadian Tulip Festival in Ottawa,
Canada. Tulips are now also popular in Australia and several festivals
are held during the Southern Hemisphere's spring.