Bulbous perennial of the Liliaceae family, native to Central Asia, mainly from Turkestan, Xinjiang, and the foothills of the Tian Shan and Pamir-Alay. It grows on rocky slopes, scree, and stony steppes, at altitudes that can exceed 2,000 meters.
Slender habit for a botanical tulip, reaching 20 to 30 cm in height. The leaves are narrow, glaucous to gray-green, channeled, erect then slightly spreading. The stem bears several flowers simultaneously, usually three to nine, which is quite exceptional in the genus and constitutes the most distinctive feature of the species.
The buds are tinged with grayish-green to brown-violet on the outside, with a marked greenish keel on the outer tepals. When open, the flowers are cream-white to pure white, with narrow, pointed tepals widely spread forming a broad star. The central blotch is bright yellow, well-defined, with stamens having yellow filaments and dark reddish-brown anthers, easily visible at the center of each flower.
In its natural habitat, its flowering extends from March to April depending on the altitude. In cultivation, it blooms early, from March to the end of the early season.
It requires full sun, very well-drained soil, and summer drought. Particularly suited to rock gardens and container cultivation, where the natural branching of each bulb quickly creates airy bouquets of remarkable lightness.