Practical
Plants

Tulipa montana

a member of the Tulipa genus in the family Liliaceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Family
Liliaceae
Genus
Tulipa
Growth rate
slow
Height
0.12 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.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Although no records of toxicity have been seen for this species, the bulbs and the flowers of at least one member of this genus have been known to cause dermatitis in sensitive people, though up to 5 bulbs a day of that species can be eaten without ill-effect[7].

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Bulb - cooked. It can be dried, ground into a powder and then mixed with cereals when making bread etc[3][5][6][8].

Plant part
Root

Environment

Range
W. Asia - Iran.
Habitat
Rocky and stony hills to 3000 metres[9].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 6+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

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[2]. 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

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Requires a very well-drained sandy soil in a sunny position[4]. Bulbs can be harvested after the plants have died down in July, stored in a cool dry place and then replanted in October[1]. This species is closely related to T. linifolia and T. maximowiczii[9].

References

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

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

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  3. Sholto-Douglas. J. Alternative Foods.

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  4. Grey. C. H. Hardy Bulbs. Williams & Norgate. 1938-00-00

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

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

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

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  8. Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation 1968-00-00

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  9. Phillips. R. and Rix. M. Bulbs Pan Books 1989-00-00 ISBN 0-330-30253-1

    ↩1↩2

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