Life Cycle of Tulips

Tulips were considered to be the flowers of God due to their beauty and perfection, by the Turks. Many of us believe tulips are native of Holland. Contrary to the belief, there is not a single species of tulip native to Holland. Tulips belong to Central and Western Asia and it were the nomadic tribes who brought the tulips to Turkey. Turkey was called as the Ottoman Empire in olden days. It were the Turks who popularized this beautiful spring flower, tulip. In the late 16th century, a European ambassador visited the Turkish Ottoman Empire. He was fascinated by the tulip garden of the Sultan. As a token of friendship, the Sultan presented the ambassador with bulbs and seeds. Ambassador presented part of his gift to the Roman emperor Ferdinand I and the remaining seeds and bulbs were to Carolus Clusius, a botanist, employed by the Roman Emperor. This is how tulips came to Europe. Carolus Clusius introduced tulips in Holland when he was appointed as the professor of Botany at Leiden University. Then onwards, the Holland became the country associated with the colorful tulips.

Life Cycle of Tulips

A Tulip is a beautiful, bright, cup-shaped flower with a smooth green stem, belonging to the family of liliaceous plants. Tulip means turban. Before dwelling on the life cycle of tulips you should know something about the climate condition of their homeland, Central and West Asia. The countries of Central and West Asia experience hot and dry summers and very cold winters. Many plants including tulips have developed special methods to survive the extreme climatic conditions by remaining dormant during the harsh winter and bloom during the spring and summer months. The tulips have underground storage organs called bulbs to survive the long months of winter.

• First Stage in the Life Cycle of Tulips

The life cycle of tulips is interesting. The tulip bulbs are planted from mid-September to mid-November. During this period the soil is moist. This fosters the growth of the bulb under the ground. In the first cycle of growth, the roots start growing from of the bulb to form a strong root system. If you have planted the bulbs in the month of October, you can expect a strong root system by December.

• Second Stage in the Life Cycle of Tulips

When the snow-covered soil begins to thaw towards the end of winter, you can see a healthy green shoot coming out from a tulip bulb. By early or mid April, the tulips would start to bloom. The flowering season of tulips continue till the mid of May. During the flowering season the leaves of the tulips develop.

• Third and the Final Stage of the Life Cycle of Tulips

The foliage plays an important role in the life cycle of tulips. The leaves of the tulips should never be cut. The reason, is they are responsible for the process of photosynthesis. The food derived from the solar energy is stored in the form of carbohydrate in the bulbs. This food is required for the growth and the flowering process of tulip in the following year. Gradually, the leaves turn yellow and wither away. Now the tulip bulbs enter a state of dormancy after completing the yearly cycle.

Tulips have been cultivated for nearly 500 years. There are several thousand hybrid varieties available today. Tulips are classified into 15 classes on the basis of season of bloom, parentage and various floral characteristics. There is a huge demand for tulips in the flower market around the globe.