por The tulips are a species of beautiful flowers belonging to the genus tulip, which is located within the Liliaceae family. They are the flowers of Holland par excellence, being a genus that includes approximately 84 species, classified into four subgenera.
The gender tulip It is made up of monocotyledonous plants that develop a bulb to store reserve substances and from which both the adventitious roots and the floral scape sprout.
The flowers are unitary and very showy, and are made up of two levels of three tepals each that are arranged in a spiral fashion. The colors of the flowers are very varied such as yellow, red, pink, purple, blue, white and orange.
They are flowers originating mainly from Turkey and are distributed in a large part of Europe, Asia, some parts of Africa, although they are also available in the American continent. They grow from 0 to 3000 meters above sea level.
It is a crop of great commercial importance since its flowers are very decorative and are used for multiple occasions and events. In addition, they have certain medicinal properties.
[toc]
Characteristics
Aspect
The tulip is a perennial plant species formed by a bulb as a reserve stem from which the floral scape develops. The species of this genus stand out for their beautiful colors and combinations of them, plus the charming shape of the flowers.
These species can measure up to half a meter in height. Adventitious and little branched roots develop from the stem.
Bulb
This type of stem constitutes a reserve organ that also serves for the propagation of this species.
In the upper part of the stem, the apex protects the meristem, which is covered by 2 to 6 scales and which gives rise to an aerial stem.
On the other hand, the bulb shows external scales that are known as tunics and that have the function of defending the plant from injury or desiccation.
Also, the scales on the inside are fleshy and are known as laminae. These sheets are arranged in contiguous layers that have the function of storing or reserving substances.
Leaves
The tulip has few leaves, no petiole, and they grow from the base of the stem, becoming smaller as they reach the top of the stem. The leaf is simple, with entire margin and parallelinervia.
Its texture is fleshy, with a linear-lanceolate or oval shape, and the color of the leaves is green or green-grey.
Flowers
The flower is made up of 6 tepals distributed on two levels, with a more or less spiral distribution. They are solitary or unitary and arise at the end of the stem. The shape of the flower is bell-shaped or star-shaped.
The androecium is made up of six stamens with oblong anthers and in many cases pubescent, while the gynoecium is made up of a superior ovary from which a trilobate stigma is exposed.
Flowering occurs in spring. The flowers can be white, red, purple, orange, yellow, blue, among others.
Fruit
The fruit is an ellipsoidal capsule with three erect valves and numerous flattened seeds.
taxonomy
-Kingdom: Plantae
-Phylum: Tracheophyta
-Class: Liliopsida
-Order: Liliales
-Family: Liliaceae
-Gender: tulip
The name «tulip» comes from the word «tulbend» which means turban, alluding to the similarity of the flower when it opens.
The current classification of the genus tulip It encompasses four subgenres, namely:
tulip subgenre clusianae
Made up of bulbous plants with woolly pubescence that protrude from its end. The stamens do not have trichomes, and the stigmas are sessile.
tulip subgenre Eriostemonas
This subgenus includes tulips whose bulbs have pubescent to glabrous tunics on the inside. The stamens do have trichomes and the stigmas are sessile.
tulip subgenre Orithyia
The tunics of the bulbs present pubescence at the tips or they may also not present it. The stamens are not pubescent, and the stigma is on a well-defined style.
tulip subgenre tulip
They are the best known tulips whose bulb tunics have a dense pubescence inside, the trichomes are wavy and silky. The stamens do not have trichomes and the stigmas are sessile.
Habitat and distribution
It is a plant native to the Middle East, especially Turkey. At present it is one of the most important ornamental crops economically speaking, and it is widespread in a good part of Europe, Asia and North Africa.
The natural populations of tulips extend from 0 to 3000 meters above sea level. In the wild they can be found south of the Iberian Peninsula, north of Morocco, Tunisia, and Libya. They can be observed in nature in Greece, from southern Ukraine to central Siberia and around the Black Sea, among others.
Specifically in the Netherlands, this crop is of great commercial importance since it is one of the countries with the highest production of tulips.
Reproduction
Reproduction of tulips can be done from seed or by vegetative propagation.
Seed propagation is used to obtain new cultivars. In this case, it should be grown at low temperatures between 5 and 8 °C and in these conditions they take up to 6 years to flower.
Likewise, the vegetative propagation is carried out from the production of bulbils or small bulbs produced by the mother plant, this multiplication can be due to 2 or 3 vegetative buds that are easily observed.
After obtaining the bulbils, they are planted in autumn. Once flowering begins at the beginning of spring, all the flowers are cut and only the flowering stem is left.
The objective to be achieved with this technique is to leave only the leaves so that they carry out the greatest production of photosynthetic assimilates. After that, the bulb reaches a commercial size, and the bulbs that do not reach that size must be replanted under the same conditions.
The flower bulbs must have a diameter of 6 to 8 cm at their widest part and must reach a weight of 6 or 8 grams.
The commercial propagation of this crop is more technical in the Netherlands, since the producers of this country have taken pains to raise the quality of the cultivation conditions, in addition to the fact that there are favorable environmental conditions for its production.
Nutrition
As for the nutritional regimen required by the tulip, it can demand high potassium, since this element improves the synthesis and translocation of sugars towards the bulb and also improves the color of the flowers.
Likewise, phosphorus is necessary since it favors growth and counteracts problems of excess nitrogen such as increased leaf development while softening the stem.
The tulip initially is not very demanding with fertilization since its growth is from the substances stored in the bulb; but, depending on the type of fertilization, if it is edaphic, it is recommended to apply a 40-40-40 fertilization of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, respectively.
However, for certain species it is required to apply nitrogen to cover the demand during the growth of the daughter bulbs, since this nitrogen fertilization is determinant for the yield of flowers and bulbs.
Otherwise, if fertilization is applied together with irrigation (fertigation), it is recommended to apply potassium nitrate (formula 13-0-40) and monoammonium phosphate (formula 12-61-0) and a dose of 2 g/m2 twice per week for the duration of the crop cycle.
When there is a case of excess fertilization, burnt-looking spots may appear that reduce the quality of the flower.
Medical uses
Tulips, in addition to being decorative, have various medicinal properties. Among them, its effect as a laxative and as an analgesic is known. In fact, the tulip is part of the ingredients of natural remedies with different effects.
One of the benefits of the tulip is that it prevents hair loss, since it has properties to strengthen the roots of the hair and thus helps reduce hair loss.
Tulips are also used as aphrodisiacs; For this, the infusion prepared with the amount corresponding to a small spoonful of flowers is used.
On the other hand, it is considered that the chemical components of the tulip can moisturize the skin. In this way, tulips are used for skin care in cases of acne, sunstroke and wounds.
Diseases
One of the most common diseases of tulips is Fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum F. sp. tulipa). This condition causes rotting of the bulbs. The disease can be controlled with the application of fungicides.
Another disease of these flowers is known as tulip fire (Botrytis tulipae), which attacks all plant structures and thrives in humid environments. The treatment of this disease is with dichlofuanide.
Other notable diseases are sclerotial disease (Sclerotium tulipae), green rot (Penicillium sp.), white rot (Erwinia carotovora), and Potyvirus (which causes variegation in tulips).
pests
Aphids, especially the species Dysaphis tulipae, Myzus persicae, Aphis fabae, they affect the tulips because they attack the buds, which causes a deformation in the plant in general. To combat this pest, suitable insecticides can be used.
On the other hand, snails and slugs are quite common to get in this crop. They are easily identified by the traces left by the slime they secrete on the plant. To control them, they can be removed manually.
Nematodes are also animals that can cause significant damage to these flowers. Its existence is observed when deformed and orange shoots appear. The treatment against this pest is to submerge the bulbs in hot water for three hours.
Pests known as daffodil flies are another species that damage tulip bulbs, causing young bulbs to die, as well as older bulbs to develop yellowish flowers.
weeds
Another problem that tulips can have is the presence of weeds. To control them, it is recommended to disinfect the soil through steam or by applying relevant chemicals for their control.
featured species
gesnerian tulip
It is the most cultivated tulip species worldwide and occupies approximately 12,000 hectares. It presents a great variety of colors.
This annual species has a thick bulb from which a very decorative solitary flower emerges. Its growth occurs in autumn, when the adventitious roots develop and the apical bud together with the leaves lengthen.
Subsequently, during the winter growth is very slow, but in spring the elongation of the floral scape occurs, the flower buds, also the daughter bulbs begin to form from the mother bulb.
Finally, at the end of spring, the aerial organs begin to die, the daughter bulbs no longer grow and the reproductive and vegetative buds begin to differentiate.
Tulipa sylvestris
It is a naturalized species in…