Tulipa Mysterious Parrot - Parrot Tulip

The Mysterious Parrot Tulip has large extravagant flowers, all ruffled, with silky violet petals with white edges and green, grey, and purple ripples. This unique combination of colours makes this very recent variety a fantastic and rare flower. It has excellent vase life on short but sturdy stems. 'Mysterious Parrot' will delight novelty enthusiasts and collectors.

The 'Mysterious Parrot' Tulip belongs to the Liliaceae family. Of horticultural origin, it is one of the latest in the 'Parrot Tulips' group, whose main characteristic is huge flowers with twisted, puffy, ruffled, irregularly fringed petals. 'Mysterious Parrot' is also obtained through mutation (sudden appearance of new characteristics that are maintained in subsequent generations). It is of medium size (40cm (16in)) with large flowers. Its variegated colour palette, inherited from the 'Arabian Mystery' tulip, includes violet, green, white, grey, and purple-bronze. Each flower has its own personality, and each evolves differently over time. The original shape of the parrot tulip adds charm, making this tulip unique when its buds slowly but completely open in a vase, to reveal a yellow centre. It flowers in April, in the middle of the tulip season.

Parrot tulips are popular for their richly coloured, stunning and variegated flowers, perfect in flower beds and bouquets. In the 18th century, they were called 'monstrous'; this group developed greatly in the 1930s, when it was discovered that irradiating bulbs with X-rays caused this mutation. They are among the most widely planted varieties. 'Mysterious Parrot' will adorn a centerpiece or bridal bouquet with great elegance. This variety is also suitable for forcing, to provide flowers early in the season.

Parrot tulips are unparalleled for bringing fantasy to pots or sunny gardens. Remember to consider the height and flowering period when designing your flower beds, as these can vary significantly from one cultivar to another. It is a good idea to plant a few more bulbs for beautiful cut flowers that last a long time in a vase.

About Botanical Species: Tulip species are found in most of the Old World, from Western Europe to China and Japan, through Eastern Europe, Asia Minor, and Central Asia. Their distribution area also includes North Africa and the Indian subcontinent. The centre of diversity of the genus is in the Pamir and Hindu Kush mountains and the steppes of Kazakhstan. 

There are various wild species, many of which are endangered. These are large tulips from crops, the best known of which is the Agen Tulip (Tulipa agenensis), or small tulips found in wooded areas or among rocks in the mountains. In cultivation, these are called 'botanical tulips', and one of the most common is the wild tulip (Tulipa sylvestris), which often used to grow in the shelter of vines and whose subspecies australis is known as the southern tulip.