Tulip of the Week: Tulipa Armena (a "Turkey Tulip")
Creator: None (Wild)
Registration date: None (Wild)
Cultivar Group: Miscellaneous
It is Thanksgiving week for our friends in the United States, and so the hope was for this week's featured Tulip to be something related. However, due to their Spring bloom period, it can be a little tough to find a clear "Thanksgiving" Tulip!
Fortunately, there are still plenty of ties between Tulips and Turkey (the country, that is)! And that brings us to Tulipa Armena - a true wild flower of Turkey (or "Turkey Tulip"). It has graced the hills of Eastern Turkey for centuries, likely being picked and cultivated by the Tulip lovers of the Ottoman Empire. For a brief period every Spring, it emerges en masse to color the mountains red.
Image source: Tulips in the Wild
We are working in partnership with the KAVB to highlight the incredible variety of Tulips by sharing different flowers every week. The KAVB (Royal General Association for Bulb Culture), established in 1860, today acts as the international registration authority for all Tulips (along with several other flowers), and works to protect and support bulb growers around the world.