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Common Name: Tulip

General Information

Tulipa gesneriana is a Bulb up to 0.50 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and source of materials.

Known Hazards

The bulb and the flowers have been known to cause dermatitis in sensitive people, though up to 5 bulbs a day can be eaten without ill-effect[].

Botanical References

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Range

The origin of this plant is obscure, though it is naturalized in S.W. Europe.

Habitat

In and around cultivated land[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Bulb
Height	0.50 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Easily grown in a sunny position in a well-drained sandy soil with added leafmould[].
The bulbs are very hardy, surviving soil temperatures down to about -12°c[].
This is a complicated species, or perhaps a group of very closely related species, some members of which are probably native to Europe[]. It is a parent of the cultivated garden tulips[].
The flowers are sweetly scented[].
Bulbs can be harvested in June after they have died down and then stored in a cool dry place, being planted out again in October[].

Edible Uses

Bulb - cooked[, ]. It can be dried and ground into a powder and then mixed with cereals when making bread etc[, ]. Some caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

Plants have been grown indoors in pots in order to help remove toxins from the atmosphere. It has been shown to help remove formaldehyde, xylene and ammonia[].

Propagation

Seed - best sown in a shady part of the cold frame as soon as it is ripe in early summer[], or in the early autumn[]. A spring sowing of stored seed in the greenhouse also succeeds[]. Sow the seed thinly so that the seedlings can be grown on without disturbance for their first growing season - apply liquid feeds to the pot if necessary. Divide the bulbs once the plants have become dormant, putting 3 - 4 bulbs in each pot. Grow the on in the greenhouse for at least the next year, planting them out when dormant.
Division of offsets in July. Larger bulbs can be planted out straight into their permanent positions, or can be stored in a cool place and then be planted out in late autumn. It is best to pot up smaller bulbs and grow them on in a cold frame for a year before planting them out when they are dormant in late summer to the middle of autumn.