Species Tulip (Tulipa humilis)

Species Tulip
Tulipa humilis var. pulchella
Albocaerula Oculata Group
(TOO-li-puh) (HEW-mil-is)
Liliaceae

This flower just increased my love for Specie Tulips. Everything about it was pretty much perfect, even if its name is a mouthful. Here is a good web page for information about Botanical Tulips.

Whenever someone asks for a tulip planting I always try and include a few separate groups of the Specie Tulips. They are reliably perennial and they seem slightly less palatable to the deer then the showier hybrids. I am not saying deer don’t eat these flowers but I have seen them leave them alone.



I took this photograph in the Rock Garden at the NYBG. It is a really amazing place and if you are after some pictures you can usually find something of interest there. The garden is closed November-March. I am not sure what the beginner photography class thought of the guy laying on this stomach taking a picture of a 3 inch high Tulip but it was worth it. If I hadn’t wanted to get a picture of it I would have never bent down and look at the detail. You have to keep your eyes open in the Rock Garden because many of the plants are very small and can be easily missed. Here is a page on the History of Rock Gardening in North America: History of Rock Gardening in North America.

Synonyms: Crocus Tulip

The botanical description for Tulipa said, “ Leaves alternate…sometimes crispate”. Crispate: “curled or ruffled, as the margins of certain leaves”.