Greig's tulip

Tulips come from Central Asia!

Most people think tulips come from Holland — but tulips are native to our mountains! In spring, the Chatkal and Nurata mountains are covered in red tulips. Greig's tulip is the wild tulip with the biggest flowers — as big as a child's palm. Dutch growers created their famous garden tulips from it.

The tulip genus (Tulipa) originated in the Tian Shan and Pamir-Alay mountains; of about 100 wild species worldwide, more than 30 grow in Uzbekistan, 20 of them in the Red Book. Greig's tulip (Tulipa greigii) has bright red flowers up to 15 cm and brown-striped leaves; it was taken from near Tashkent to Europe in 1873 and became the ancestor of modern garden varieties. Tulips reached Holland in the 16th century via the Ottoman Empire; in 1637 came 'tulip mania', when one bulb cost as much as a house. In Uzbekistan, tulips bloom for 2–3 weeks in March–April.

Fun facts

• In 1637 in Holland, one tulip bulb cost as much as a house!
• Uzbekistan has more than 30 species of wild tulip — Holland has none.
• The word 'tulip' comes from the Turkish 'tülbend' (turban), because the flower looks like one.