518 



THE GARDENER'S ASSISTANT. 



Fig. 631.— Tulipa Gesneriana, 

 var. Keizerkroon. 



Russian), while the late, or May -flowering kinds, 

 are the offspring of T. Gesneriana (fig. 631), from 

 the Levant (1577). All the florists' Tulips are 

 seedling variations 

 of the last-named 

 species, probably 

 one of the first 

 Tulips introduced 

 to European gar- 

 dens. 



All Tulips are 

 beautiful, but self- 

 coloured kinds are 

 most effective in 

 the open air, and 

 what we want are 

 plenty of strong 

 and stately seed- 

 lings of T. Gesne- 

 riana, of all shades 

 of colour, especi- 

 ally good self- or 

 single - coloured 

 kinds. 



Now that all 

 sorts of Tulips are 

 being largely grown in English and Irish gar- 

 dens for sale, I hope that seedlings may also be 

 reared every year, and the best selected for 

 stock. 



The Parrot Tulips form a distinct and showy 

 class, their chief drawback being their weak 

 stems, their flowers being soiled by being too 

 close to the ground. 



Cultivation. — Tulips, especially hybrids and 

 seedlings, are easily grown, a deep, rich soil 

 suiting them best. In Holland they prefer a 

 stronger and more loamy soil than the Hyacinth, 

 but at Rush, near Dublin, they grow very vigor- 

 ously in the deep moist sand near the sea-shore. 

 As a rule they are not exacting, and thrive well 

 in any good loamy soils, living for years undis- 

 turbed in cottage and farmhouse gardens nearly 

 everywhere. Still it is as well to lift the bulbs 

 when their leaves turn yellow, say in June, 

 every two or three years, or the clumps become 

 crowded and flower poorly. The bulbs may be 

 dried and cleaned in an open, airy shed, and 

 then stored in open-work boxes or shelves, until 

 planting - time, which may vary from August 

 until November, the sooner the better, especially 

 on cold and wet soils. The bulbs may be 

 selected into firsts and seconds, for blooming, 

 and spawn for stock. 



A canvas shade or awning is necessary over 

 all Show Tulips when they bloom in spring. 



Species of Tulipa. 



T. acuminata. — Curious, with long thin petals, not 

 showy. Syn. T. cornuta. 



T. Albertii. — Dwarf, with undulate, prostrate leaves. 

 Flowers red, with a blotch of yellow edged with black 

 on each petal. Turkestan. 



T. altaica. — Yellow or red. Segments oblong acute. 

 No basal blotch. 6-12 inches high. Central Asia. 



T. aucheriana. — Mauve or lilac. Stamens hairy at the 

 base, 4-8 inches high. Persia. 



T. australis. — Known from T. sylvestris by its funnel- 

 shaped perianth, yellow flushed red on the outside, and 

 its more slender habit. Savoy. Syns. T. Breyniana 

 and T. Cehiana. 



T. humilis is a dwarf species from Persia, closely 

 allied to the last. 



T. Batalini. — Dwarf and exquisite species, with pale- 

 yellow, fawn, or apricot-hued flowers. Leaves narrow, 

 undulate, prostrate. 



T. Biebersteiniana. — Near T. sylvestris, but smaller and 

 more gracile. Siberia and Asia Minor. 



T. bifiora. — A very old kind, bearing two or more 

 flowers on branching scapes. Flowers creamy-white, 

 with a yellow eye. Caucasus. 



T. Borszczowi. — Bright -red, with a brownish - black 

 basal blotch, margined with yellow. Central Asia. It 

 is dwarfer than T. Gesneriana, and there is a yellow form 

 without any basal blotch. 



T. brachystemon. — Near T. Kesselringii, than which it 

 has smaller flowers, segments more acute, leaves narrower 

 and only two in number. Turkestan. 



T. Clusiana (Lady Tulip) (fig. 632). — An elegant vari- 

 able species. Flowers white, striped red, with a purplish 

 centre. Mediterranean region; introduced in 1636, and 

 so one of our oldest Tulips. T. stcllata is a near ally. 

 Himalayas. 



T. Didicri. — Deep-red, with black blotch, edged yellow 

 or white. There are also yellow and white forms. 

 Alps. 



T. elegans. — Bright-red, with yellow base. Perhaps 

 a hybrid of T. suaveolens x T. acuminata. 



T. Gesneriana. — One of the best and most variable of 

 all Tulips. Type crimson-red, with a blue base. Grows 

 2-3 feet high. T. fulgens is of a more intense colour, 

 yellow at base, with pointed segments. 



T. Greigi. — Vivid orange -scarlet flowers of great size. 

 Leaves blotched with purple. Very variable and showy. 

 Turkestan. 



T. Kaufmanniana. — Bright-yellow; no basal blotch. 

 Large and showy. Central Asia. 



T. Macrospila. — Erect habit, about 16 inches high. 

 Leaves erect, blue-green. Flowers vivid, crimson-red, 

 with blackish basal spot edged with yellow. One of the 

 best garden Tulips. Supposed hybrid. 



T. oculus solis (Sun-eye Tulip). — Apricot-red, with dark 

 blotch. Very showy. South France. 



T. persica (Persian Tulip).— A dwarf and late-flower- 

 ing kind, with coppery buds and bright-yellow flowers, 

 often two to three on a stem. A pretty little species, 

 not showy. Persia. 



T. plat y stigma. — This is a rosy- coloured kind with a 

 dash of orange through it, and is supposed to be the 

 parent of the so-called Dragon or Parrot Tulips, which 

 revert to this kind when allowed to remain long in the 

 some place. Wild at Guillestre, in the High Alps. 



T. prcecox. — More robust and taller than T. oculus solis, 

 also earlier flowering. Italy. 



