Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam, Netherlands

Family: Liliaceae (Leliefamilie)

Synonym: Tulipa didieri (Neo-Tulipae Group)

Distribution: Cultigen

Comments: This tulip, probably a wild hybrid, was at the base of most of today's cultivated and cross-bred tulips. It originated in China and was cultivated in the Ottoman Empire. In the mid-16th century, it came to Europe from Constantinople, now Istanbul, and was described by Conrad Gesner. In the Netherlands, the tulip became so popular that a craze developed. Especially when specimens emerged with flamed petals, the Rembrandt tulips, which were traded for extremely high prices. Even now, the popularity is unprecedented: Almost all tulips for sale at the flower stall are cultivated Tulipa gesneriana.

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