INTRODUCTION TO CLASSIFICATION OF GARDEN TULIPS 7 



Tulips usually show considerable irregularity of marking, with streaks 

 and splashes of rose or purple upon a white ground (Bybloemen) or 

 of scarlet and brown upon a yellow ground (Bizarres). 



The English florists insist upon complete distinctness and regularity 

 of marking in the English broken Tulips (fig. 22) ; they distinguish two 

 types: the "feathered" flowers, in which the marking is confined to a 

 fine pencilling upon the edges of the petals, and "flamed" flowers, 

 which possess a branching beam of colour up the centre of the petal 

 in addition to the feathering upon the edges. Unfortunately, as yet, 

 only a few varieties mark truly from year to year. 



The broken Darwins, known as " Rembrandt Tulips," are even 

 more irregularly marked than the Dutch ; they generally show two 

 shades of colour upon a white ground splashes of the lighter breeder 

 colour with irregular streaks of a darker shade. 



The Cottage class is nothing more than a convenient gathering 

 ground for a number of Tulips from the same general stock which 

 could not be placed in the florist's classes, but which were sufficiently 

 attractive to be kept for garden decoration. It includes the true 

 selfs, white and yellow, which possess no anthocyanin pigment and 

 never break. It also includes races which open with a narrow edge 

 of red upon a white or yellow ground, but as the flower ages the 

 red extends until it flushes over the whole bloom. Among the other 

 sections in the Cottage Tulips is one including various shades of red 

 and crimson, and another including the shades of scarlet, orange, or 

 brown. It should be remembered that all flowers of rose-red, crimson, 

 and purplish shades possess a white ground colour, whereas the true 

 scarlets and all brown shades are due to the same red or purple colours 

 superimposed upon a yellow ground. Lastly we have a group of 

 varying and indeterminate colours, in which the red or purple pigment 

 is " shot " with a yellow shade of varying intensity. Again, there are 

 broken classes for all the Cottage Tulips except the true selfs. Form 

 varies greatly among the Cottage Tulips, and we may distinguish 

 four types : (i) the true cup, as in ' Bouton d'Or ' (fig. i) ; (2) the long 

 pointed form, often showing a distinct waist, as in ' Mrs. Moon ' (fig. 2) ; 



(3) the form with pointed reflexing segments, giving the flower an 

 outline resembling the heraldic fleur-de-lys, as in retroflexa (fig. 4) ; 



(4) the form that is in outline much like a long egg, as in ' John 

 Ruskin' (fig. 3). 



The Double Late Tulips need no definition. The Parrots include a 

 few varieties with cut and laciniated petals, often showing blotches 

 of green unpigmented tissue. The Parrots are usually marked with 

 scarlet or brown upon a yellow ground, but a few are known with white 

 grounds. As a rule they have weak stems and do not bloom very 

 freely. As a final group we have to bring together all the true species, 

 not that they possess necessarily anything in common, save the 

 property of breeding true, but simply for convenience. It should be 

 noted that many of the so-called species, which have Latin names in 

 the catalogues, are really garden forms, and are mostly included in 



