Parrot_tulip
Parrot tulip
Tulip cultivar group
Parrot tulips are a tulip cultivar group known for their bright colors and petals. The petals have a "serrated" or "fringed" look.[1] The flowers bloom in late spring and reach a size of almost 5 inches (13 cm) in length.[1] Although they are perennials by nature٫ they are often grown as annuals.[2] Parrot tulips come in a wide variety of colors, usually being brightly colored, but can come in darker colors.[3] The flowers originated in France and were brought to the Netherlands in the 18th century.[4]
The flower buds are green in color, but as the flowers mature, their bright colors start to appear. Parrot tulips not a species but are a group of cultivars with the name Tulipa Parrot Group.[5] Parrot tulips are the result of natural mutations to single late tulips and triumph tulips.[6] During the 17th and 18th century the most notable mutations were to color patterns with growers attempting to influence the color of the tulips using pigeon droppings, old plaster and even dirty waste water from the kitchen.[7] It wasn't until the late 19th century that the source of these mutations was isolated as the tulip breaking virus.[7][8][9] Later in the 20th century, radiation was used to cause mutations in these tulips to search for new colors and patterns.[7][10]