TULIP

The tulips are spring-blooming perennials that grow from bulbs. Depending on the species, tulip plants can be between 4 inches (10 cm) and 28 inches (71 cm) high. The tulip´s large flowers usually bloom and scapes with the leaves in a rosette at ground level and a single flowering stalk arising from among the leaves. Tulip stems have have few leaves. Larger species tend to have multiple leaves. Plants typically have two to six leaves, some species up to 12. The tulip´s leaf is strap-shaped. with waxy coating, and the leaves are alternately arranged on the stem; these fleshy blades are often bluish green in color. Most tulips produce only one flower per stem, but a few species bear multiple flowers on their scapes ( example the TULIPA TURKESTANCIA). The generally cup or star shaped tulip flower has three petals and three sepals, which are often termed tepals because they are nearly identical. These six tepals are often marked on the interior surface near the bases with darker colorings. Tulip flowers come in a wide variety of colors, except pure blue (several tulips with ¨blue¨in the same have a faint violet hue). The flowers have six distinct,basifixed stamens with filaments shorter than the tepals. Each stigma has three distinct lobes, and the ovaries are superior, with three chambers. The tulip´s seed is a capsule with leathery covering and an ellipsoid to globe shape.