Tulips are beautiful spring flowers.
When they light up the gardens we know that winter has passed.
Use and history
Tulip painting by RedoutéThe tulip is the national flower of Iran and Turkey, and tulip motifs feature prominently in Persian and Turkish folk arts. The European name for the flower is a misuse of the Persian word for turban, a mistake probably originating in the common Turkish custom of wearing flowers in the folds of the turban. Or because this eastern flower resembled a turban when not in full bloom.
Unofficially, the flower is also emblematic of Netherlands. For instance, in an annual gesture of gratitude to Canada for liberating the nation from Nazi German tyranny in World War II, a supply of tulips is sent to be planted in Canada's national capital in Ottawa.
In both the Ottoman Empire and Netherlands, separate episodes of tulip mania struck both countries which both led to damaging speculation crashes which also contributed to the Ottoman Empire's financial decline.
Numerous cultivars have been bred for garden use. It is often considered one of humanity's "canonical flowers", along with the rose, lily, orchid, and peony (see Pollan)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulip
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