Bay area Tulipa

Jim McKenney jamesamckenney@verizon.net
Fri, 12 Apr 2013 08:36:34 PDT
Paul LIcht asked: "Is the T. whittallii the one thought to be /T. orphanidea/"

Paul, what we call Tulipa whittallii is a tetraploid member of the orphanidea group. It does not look like Tulipa orphanidea but rather like a large T. hageri.

It's probably a clone, and thus its status as a species is dubious. But it is horticulturally distinct. It is widely available in the bulb trade and is well worth having. It spreads freely underground and soon forms broad, diffuse masses. One such mass in the garden here is probably over thirty years old. 

Jim McKenney
Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, USDA zone 7, where the temperature today is about 30 degrees F lower than it was for several days earlier this week. Earlier this week the temperature was briefly about 90 degrees F : fried fritillaries and trout lilies, anyone? 



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