Thai tulips: Asian beauty in your home
These tulips have a very particular shape. And for good reason, they are not tulips ! But this does not take anything away from their real charm.
What is the Thai tulip ?
Tulips belong to the Liliaceae family and form the genus Tulipa, while Thai tulips (or Siamese tulips), whose real name is Curcuma Alismatifolia, belong to the genus Curcuma of the Zingiberaceae family. About forty species are known, which are native to Asia, tropical America and Africa. Although ornamental, it is also an edible plant! We get from its rhizomes a nourishing starch, and also yellow pigments.
[ggiesshortcode]
This very decorative plant can reach a height of 70 cm. Its vertical stem is decorated with large simple leaves. On these stems, the ears are drawn up and the flowers are numerous, thick, tubular and coloured. This is what makes it an ornamental plant particularly appreciated by its owners. Its shape is not common and its colors are particular: in some species the tip of the petal is green, when the petal is deep pink and white or orange and white.
How to care for it?
The Asian tulip is best grown in a pot. It is a perennial plant, which blooms again each year from June to August. It is important to plant it in a light soil, not very calcareous and rich in humus. It appreciates the shaded light and needs water, it will be necessary to water it very regularly – once or twice a week. It can be supplied with a special liquid fertilizer for potted plants once a month. It is also a plant which enters in dormancy the winter and which does not require any more watering during this period. Moreover, it does not support the frost. The ideal is to place it in an almost dry soil whose temperature will be maintained at 12°C if possible. It will be enough to take it back at the beginning of spring.
The Thai tulip is a very pretty ornamental plant, and can be a very nice gift. You can find them for sale online. It is also possible to offer them at a distance, and even to the most distant relatives, as these sites ensure home delivery of the flowers!
