Practical
Plants

Tulipa gesneriana

Tulip

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Taxonomy and growth

Family
Liliaceae
Genus
Tulipa
Height
0.5 m
Flower type
hermaphrodite

Uses

Toxicity

Toxicity warning. The historical record reports a hazard for this plant. Do not use it to decide which parts are safe to eat or use medicinally.

The bulb and the flowers have been known to cause dermatitis in sensitive people, though up to 5 bulbs a day can be eaten without ill-effect[11].

Edible uses

Bulb - cooked[5][10]. It can be dried and ground into a powder and then mixed with cereals when making bread etc[8][2]. Some caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.

Plant part
Root

Material uses

Plants have been grown indoors in pots in order to help remove toxins from the atmosphere. It has been shown to help remove formaldehyde, xylene and ammonia[7].

Product or use
Pollution

Environment

Range
The origin of this plant is obscure, though it is naturalized in S.W. Europe.
Habitat
In and around cultivated land[9].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 5+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

Seed - best sown in a shady part of the cold frame as soon as it is ripe in early summer[1], or in the early autumn[3]. A spring sowing of stored seed in the greenhouse also succeeds[K]. Sow the seed thinly so that the seedlings can be grown on without disturbance for their first growing season - apply liquid feeds to the pot if necessary. Divide the bulbs once the plants have become dormant, putting 3 - 4 bulbs in each pot. Grow the on in the greenhouse for at least the next year, planting them out when dormant. Division of offsets in July. Larger bulbs can be planted out straight into their permanent positions, or can be stored in a cool place and then be planted out in late autumn. It is best to pot up smaller bulbs and grow them on in a cold frame for a year before planting them out when they are dormant in late summer to the middle of autumn.

Cultivation

Easily grown in a sunny position in a well-drained sandy soil with added leafmould[1]. The bulbs are very hardy, surviving soil temperatures down to about -12°c[4]. This is a complicated species, or perhaps a group of very closely related species, some members of which are probably native to Europe[9]. It is a parent of the cultivated garden tulips[9]. The flowers are sweetly scented[6]. Bulbs can be harvested in June after they have died down and then stored in a cool dry place, being planted out again in October[1].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  2. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

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  3. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩

  4. Matthews. V. The New Plantsman. Volume 1, 1994. Royal Horticultural Society 1994-00-00 ISBN 1352-4186

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  5. Sholto-Douglas. J. Alternative Foods.

    ↩

  6. Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994-00-00 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8

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  7. Wolverton. B. C. Eco-Friendly House Plants. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. London. 1996-00-00 ISBN 0-297-83484-3

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  8. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩

  9. ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  10. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩

  11. Frohne. D. and Pf�nder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Wolfe 1984-00-00 ISBN 0723408394

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