Tulipa 2013

[Armin]

Very nice tulips Tony,

T. doerfleri resembles T. orphanidea and T. whittallii.

Does anybody knows about their phylogenetic relationship?

[Tony Willis]

When we see Tulips in the wild in Turkey they're not often growing in turf like that -  is this more common in Crete, Tony ?

Maggi

the bakeri were growing in fields with a lot of grass but doerfleri are in fields of some sort of grain crop whilst cretica is on a stony hillside amongst various orchids and most were finished

[Maggi Young]

Thanks for the info, Tony. 

[krisderaeymaeker]

Familiar places and plants Tony .    Good to see them again .....You have to be there on the right time . Sometimes it depends on few days or a week. Two years ago we have been there only 1 week earlier and none of the bakeri's on the Omalos plain was flowering . The same with doerfleri near Spili . Tulipa cretica on the other hand was at is best that week. 
Are there stil many doerfleri's ? During our last visit I was thinking that they are threatened over there ....

[krisderaeymaeker]

Some Tulipa cretica in flower here .....

[Lvandelft]

Going Wild for Tulips

For anyone with an interest in wild tulips pictured in nature I can thoroughly recommend this little booklet by Eric Breed.
There are 42 species beautiful photographed in their habitat in for instance Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Turkmenistan, Iran, but also in Crete and Switzerland.
The photos are made over several years by Eric Breed, Wim Lemmers, Marijn van den Brink, Sjaak de Groot, Arie Peterse and most trips were guided by Vladimir Kolbintsjev.
The price of this little booklet is € 9,95 excl. p. p.
 Details on ordering etc. can be obtained from Eric Breed: info@tulippictures.eu

[Tony Willis]

Kris

I had also heard they were threatened but there are thousands in the fields around the 'Spili bump'.I think that many years a lot do not flower and this gives the impression there are not many plants but this is not so. We have been over a period of 20 years and nothing has changed.

[krisderaeymaeker]

Kris
I had also heard they were threatened but there are thousands in the fields around the 'Spili bump'.I think that many years a lot do not flower and this gives the impression there are not many plants but this is not so. We have been over a period of 20 years and nothing has changed.

Thanks Tony . Good news , its better this way   
I also spread the good news to my wife ....it's  Ingrid favorite because of the red colour I suppose ...

[Janis Ruksans]

some pix of very early Botzchantzeva's kaufmannianas, taken a week ago in the counry house

I. (from right to left) 'Voschod Solntza' /1st and 2nd rows/, 'Sijanie' /3-d row/, 'Utro' /4th and 5th row/
II. the same order, but from left to right, plus Janis' 'Nessy' /6th row in the centre/
III. one of tulipa greigii beds

Looks fantastic, Zhirair! My greetings!
Janis

[Boyed]

Looks fantastic, Zhirair! My greetings!
Janis

Thank you, Janis! It's a pleasure to receive compliments from a bulb guru.
Yesterday I was studying your new website, enjoying the photographs. Very interesting! Congratulations!!!

[zephirine]

Tulipa humilis 'Tete a tete" blooming outside these days. The flower looks like it's springing from the ground!

[johnralphcarpenter]

Well, we had the second coldest March on record, and last week we had the coldest April day for 50 years. despite that a few Tulips opened during brief sunny intervals. T. subbiflora on 2nd April, T. polychroma Hort. also on the 2nd, T. bifloriformis 'Bashkisilsai' on the 6th. Hope for more if the weather warms up.

[Maggi Young]

I know how you feel Ralph, it's still very cold here. Does you good when the shines shines like that and the flowers open ,though, doesn't it? 

[FrazerHenderson]

Very nice tulips Tony,

T. doerfleri resembles T. orphanidea and T. whittallii.

Does anybody knows about their phylogenetic relationship?

Armin

The tulips are subgenus Eriostemones (Boiss) section Sylvestres (Baker), Tulipa doerfleri is considered to be a triploid subspecies and T. whittallii a tetraploid ssp of T. orphanidea. There is also a possibility that
T. orphanidea may be, according to cytological evidence, an old hybrid of T. hageri x T. sylvestris.

It all seems very incestuous, however the good news is that Kew is publishing a Tulipa monograph (the first since 1940!) in May (cost £37.50 from Amazon) and it should contain the results of flow cytometry, building on earlier work by Zonneveld.

Roll on May!

FRazer

[Armin]

Frazer,
many thanks for your investigative works!
It brings some light in the darkness
Let's wait for May then.