Do you know where tulips originated?

Tulips are practically synonymous with the Netherlands, known for its vast fields, varieties, and celebrations of these vibrant flowers. However, there’s another country that can lay claim to occupying a prominent place in tulip history and cultivation—Kazakhstan.  While it’s a little-known fact, the story of the tulip began in Central Asia and Persia, and from there the flower made its way to the Ottoman Empire and eventually to the Netherlands.

The tulip first emerged some 10 million years ago in the Pamir and Tien Shan mountain ranges, as well as adjacent deserts, of Kazakhstan and Central Asia. Scientific research identifies the Berikkara Gorge in the Zhambyl Region of Kazakhstan, situated in the western Tien Shan Mountains, as the birthplace of wild tulips. Also known as “species” or “botanical” tulips because they represent the natural, unhybridized ancestors of cultivated varieties, wild tulips raise their blooms only a few inches above the ground, boasting a limited, but brilliant palette of reds, yellows and oranges. They spread their seeds by the wind and their bulbs by slow division, enabling them to flourish in the wilderness.

Although few people ventured into the mountainous regions where tulips first grew, traders and soldiers occasionally took note. Carried along ancient trade routes, the flower’s seeds and bulbs first reached Persia and the Ottoman Empire, before being introduced to Europe in the 16th century. In the Netherlands, the flower underwent extensive selection and breeding, evolving into the thousands of varieties known today.

Tulips in Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan remains the source of the world’s richest diversity of wild tulips, officially recognizing 35 species, 18 of which are protected in the country’s Red Book. Among these are the Greig, Kaufmann, and Schrenk tulips, representing 75 percent of tulip’s cultivated varieties in existence.

The Greig tulip (Tulipa greigii), also known as the “king of tulips,” is distinguished by broad leaves, a tall stem, and predominantly large red buds, with some petals being red etched with a yellow border. First described in 1868 as originating from Kazakhstan, Greig’s tulip has given rise to more than 200 modern varieties and typically begins to bloom in Kazakhstan’s warmer regions at the end of March.

The Kaufmann (waterlily) tulip (Tulipa kaufmanniana) is a delicate, low-growing species, found in the wild only in the Western Tien Shan and Karatau mountains of Kazakhstan. More than 200 varieties of the Kaufmann tulip have been bred, characterized by their early flowering.

The Schrenk’s tulip (Tulipa suaveolens) thrives in semi-deserts, steppes, and even arid desert regions, with the Karaganda region providing the most favorable conditions for its growth. Historically, the Schrenk tulip was introduced into Ottoman gardens during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent (1520–1566) and became widely cultivated, earning the distinction of being the first tulip species to reach Europe.

Another interesting variety is Regel’s tulip (Tulipa regelii), which resembles a lotus flower and has a very short stem and broad, corrugated leaf. This relict species grows at the foot of the Chu-Ili Mountains (a northern subrange of the Tien Shan Mountains) and is the most ancient representative of the flora there.