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Tulipa clusiana (Lady Tulip) - An early spring flowering bulb that grows to 6 to 12 inches tall with two to five narrow gray green slightly twisted leaves. In late winter to early spring, rising just above the foliage, appear the vase shaped white flowers edged with red that open up to a 3- to 4-inch-wide star shape to display a red blotch at the petal bases and the purple stamens.
Plant in full sun in a well-drained soil. It is cold hardy to -10°F and grown in USDA Zone 3 and above. Keep dry when dormant. This plant naturalizes in our mediterranean climate to form nice solid stands that bloom in late winter to early spring and are dormant in our dry summers.
Tulipa clusiana is native to Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan and the western Himalayas and widely cultivated as an ornamental throughout the world. The name for the genus is derived from the Turkish word "tulbend" meaning a "turban" in reference to its shape. The specific epithet honors the 16th-century Flemish horticulturist, physician and botanist, Carolus Clusius. It is also commonly also known as the Persian Tulip and Clusius's Tulip. We thank local Santa Barbara horticulturist John Bleck for sharing bulbs of this tulip that have naturalized in his yard.
This information about Tulipa clusiana displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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