Tulipa batalinii 'Red Gem'

Tulipa batalinii 'Red Gem', very close to a prolific botanical species, is a highly colourful, faithful and easy to naturalise variety in the garden. It is characterized by a relatively late spring flowering, with a bright vermilion red that opens widely under the sun to reveal a small black and grey core. From its Uzbek and mountainous origins, it has retained a stout habit and a clear preference for well-drained, fresh soils in spring and dry soils in summer.

Tulipa batalinii is a perennial bulbous plant belonging to the lily family, which corresponds to the ancient Turkish ideal of a pointed corolla. Its origins are lost in the mountains of Central Asia. It is related to Tulipa linifolia, of which it would be a depigmented form, and to Tulipa maximowiczii, which closely resembles the latter. It is a distinctly stoloniferous tulip that spreads through the production of numerous bulbils in large carpets over time.

This 'Red Gem' form, which is commonly associated with the botanical species, is a cultivated form of Tulipa batalinii. This small tulip, 15 to 20cm (6 to 8in) tall, blooms relatively late, in April-May, and can spread over a month. Its flower bud opens into a 5 to 6cm (2in) diameter corolla composed of 6 bright, oval, pointed tepals. It closes in the evening and in grey weather. The flowers, carried on top of a short but sturdy stem, emit a light fragrance. The deciduous foliage consists of 4 or 5 narrow, slightly twisted, greyish green leaves.

Botanical tulips do not degenerate over time like large-flowered tulips. They naturalize and can remain in place for several years without special maintenance, thriving in borders and rockeries. This Tulipa batalinii 'Red Gem' can also be planted in a lightly mowed and not too trampled short grass meadow, provided that the competition is not too strong initially, to help it establish. To create colourful scenes, they can be combined with various small bulbous plants: Crocus, Anemone blanda, Muscaris, Puschkinia, Cyclamen coum, etc. These tulips are unrivalled for bringing the colours of spring to pots or sunny gardens.

Tulip species are found from Western Europe to China and Japan, passing through Eastern Europe, Asia Minor and Central Asia. Their distribution range also includes North Africa and the Indian subcontinent. The centre of diversity of the Tulipa genus is located in the Pamir and Hindu Kush mountains and in the steppes of Kazakhstan.