Tulipa Black Parrot - Parrot Tulip

Tulip 'Black Parrot' is a sculptural and majestic tulip that bears black petals with red reflections. You can pair it with T. 'Super Parrot' for a stunning contrast, or with pink or purple tulips for harmonious combinations. The enormous flowers rise atop flexible stems that are 50cm (20in) tall, making them particularly susceptible to bad weather conditions. The flowers are all different but share the black colour of the petals. It blooms in the heart of spring, starting in April.

Tulip 'Black Parrot' belongs to the Liliaceae family. Of horticultural origin, it is currently classified in the group of Parrot Tulips, whose main characteristic is to have enormous flowers with twisted, puffed, tousled, irregularly fringed petals.

These tulips are renowned for their rich colours, their stunning and variegated flowers, and their suitability in both flower beds and bouquets. In the 18th century, they were described as monstrous. This group developed a lot in the 1930s, when it was discovered that irradiating bulbs with X-rays caused this mutation. They are already among the most widely planted varieties.

They are unmatched for bringing the colours of spring to pots or sunny gardens. This tulip beautifully decorates balconies and patios. When designing your flower beds, you must consider the height and flowering period of the tulips, as these parameters can vary significantly from one cultivar to another. It is wise to plant a few more bulbs for cutting, as they make superb cut flowers that last a long time in a vase.

Tulip species are found throughout most of the Old World, from Western Europe to China and Japan, including Eastern Europe, Asia Minor, and Central Asia. Their distribution range also includes North Africa and the Indian subcontinent. The centre of diversity for the genus is in the Pamir and Hindu Kush mountains and the steppes of Kazakhstan.

There are various wild species, many of which are endangered. These include large adventive tulips from cultivated fields, the most well-known being the Agen tulip (Tulipa agenensis), as well as small tulips found in wooded areas or among rocks in the mountains. In cultivation, they are called "botanical tulips", and one of the most common is the wild tulip (T. sylvestris), which used to often grow sheltered by vines and whose subspecies, australis, is known as the southern tulip.