It's not Spring until the first tulip blossoms create their much-anticipated appearance. To celebrate these lovely perennials,we've gathered the most bizarre, historic, and all around sharp facts we could find on them.
Check them out below and then start fantasizing approximately all the beautiful ways you can display your stems.1. Tulips originated in Central Asia hundreds of years ago and were brought to Turkey,where they became an important portion of the local culture2. The word "tulip" comes from the Turkish word for turban. This name is sometimes attributed to the tulip's turban-like shape and other times is thought to have been because the Turkish would wear a tulip stem in their turbans3. Tulips migrated to Europe in the mid 16th century and where a phenomenon in the Netherlands by the 17th century4. So called Tulip Mania hit during the Dutch Golden Age, causing the tulip market to bubble to enormous proportions before crashing down. It was one of the first-ever speculative market bubbles5. At the peak of Tulip Mania, and from around 1634-1637,some single bulbs were said to be priced more than ten times the annual income of wealthy skilled craftsmanImage Source: Shutterstock
6. The Netherlands are still the world's largest producer and exporter of tulips worldwide7. There are 75 recognized species of tulips and over 3000 varieties8. The gorgeous streaking that paints the petals of some tulips was originally caused by a viral infection, but today this desirable broken coloring effect is the planned result of breeding9. Tulips start as bulbs, or which are living plants with self-contained nutrients rather than seeds10. Bulbs must be planted in the Fall if they are to blossom in the Spring because a long,dormant period of cool temperatures is needed in order for the biochemistry to occur that causes them to flowerImage Source: Shutterstock
11. Tulips can also be "forced" into blooming if they are stored in a cold place like the refrigerator for a minimum of 12 weeks12. Tulips are portion of the Lily family and are classified a herbaceous perennials13. Their petals are said to be edible, but unpleasant tasting; however, and we don't recommend eating them14. They reach in a myriad (a very large number) of colors but the most illustrious is Queen of the Night,a sad and dramatic purple so deep it looks black15. Blossoms are impressively symmetrical in most varieties
Source: popsugar.com