Tulipa montana is a species of tulip native to the mountains of Iran and Turkmenistan.[2][4] With its deep red petals (there is also a yellow morph) it has been proposed as a candidate for the Biblical Rose of Sharon, whose identity is unknown.[5]
Tulipa montana | |
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Tulipa montana here labeled as Tulipa wilsoniana | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Monocots |
Order: | Liliales |
Family: | Liliaceae |
Subfamily: | Lilioideae |
Tribe: | Lilieae |
Genus: | Tulipa |
Species: | T. montana
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Binomial name | |
Tulipa montana | |
Synonyms[2][3] | |
List
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Richard Wilford in his 2006 published book "Tulips" writes "This really is one of the most alluring of the smaller tulip species".[6]
T. montana is a low-growing perennial bulb,[7] and it can reach up to 15–20 cm (6–8 in) tall.[8][9]
It has glaucous leaves,[7] then blooms in early spring,[6] or early summer,[10] in April,[8] or as late as July (in America).[9]
It has cup-shaped flowers,[7][6] that come in shades of red,[7] from scarlet,[9][10] crimson,[11] to deepest blood-red.[6] Inside the bloom, it has a greenish-black central blotch and yellow anthers.[7][11] In the wild, there are also yellow forms.[11]
The Latin specific epithet montana refers to mountains or coming from mountains.[12]
It was first found in Persia in 1826,[9] and then published and described by John Lindley in The Botanical Register (Botanical Register; Consisting of Coloured Figures of Exotic Plants Cultivated in British Gardens; with their History and Mode of Treatment),[13] Vol.13 on page 1106 in 1827.[3][14]
It is native to temperate Asia and Europe.[14]
It is found in the mountains of Iran,[6] and Iraq,[7] around the Caspian Sea.[11]