Tulipa fosteriana
Common name: Foster's tulip · Emperor tulip
Tulipa fosteriana is a bulbous perennial native to the mountains of Central Asia, including Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Afghanistan. It bears large, brilliant scarlet-red flowers with a dark basal blotch, opening wide in sun, above broad gray-green leaves. It is prized in gardens as one of the earliest and largest-flowered tulips to bloom in spring. Its cultivars, often sold as the Fosteriana or Emperor group, are among the most widely grown tulips.
Care summary
Sun
Full sun
Water
Water in growth; dry during summer dormancy
Soil
Well-drained, sandy or gritty soil
Hardiness
Zones 3–8
Mature height
About 25–45 cm (0.8–1.5 ft)
Pet safe
No — toxic to cats and dogs, especially the bulb
Difficulty
Moderate
Propagation
Propagate by separating the small offset bulbs that form around the parent bulb. Lift clumps after the foliage has died back in early summer, pull off the offsets, and replant them in autumn; offsets take two to three years to reach flowering size.
Fun facts
- The species was named after Michael Foster, an Irish professor of physiology and avid tulip grower.
- The famous cultivar 'Red Emperor' (also sold as 'Madame Lefeber') is a Tulipa fosteriana selection.
- Fosteriana tulips naturalize and perennialize better than most other tulip groups in gardens.
- Its flowers can exceed 12 cm across when fully open in sunshine.