Tulipa linifolia 'Yellow Jewel'

Selected cultivar from Tulipa linifolia, a bulbous perennial of the Liliaceae family, whose type species is native to Central Asia, mainly Tajikistan and adjacent regions, where it grows on rocky and steppe slopes, dry and well-exposed.

The plant reaches 15 to 20 cm in height. The leaves are narrow, glaucous, with slightly wavy and ciliated edges, characteristic of the group. An established bulb readily produces several flowering stems at the same time, quickly giving a dense and generous clump effect.

The flower is a soft and bright yellow, slightly creamy towards the base of the outer tepals which reveal apricot-salmon reflections, clearly visible on the buds and the reverse. At full opening, the cup is wide and rounded, the tepals oval and well-spread. The most striking detail is the center of the flower, where stamens with dark brown-purple filaments and anthers contrast sharply with the light yellow background, without a defined black blotch as in the red forms of the species.

Its flowering in cultivation generally extends from April to May.

Like all representatives of the group, it requires impeccable drainage, full sun exposure, and a dry summer rest period. It is perfectly suited for pot cultivation under cold shelter or in very well-drained rock gardens, and multiplies slowly by bulbils.