Tulipa 'Little Princess', a fiery gem
of a dwarf tulip, listed as a cross between
T. hageri and T. aucheriana, however each of those parent species is itself in
question. No matter, the blended coppery orange flowers on 3" stems
make this
a must for the rock garden. The flowers have a pleasant light
fragrance.
Based upon the most recent taxonomic judgements I've read, T. hageri is
maintained as a distinct species from T. orphanidea. T. hageri has
unique
dull red flowers, with a greenish black center, obviously contributing
much to
the appearance of this hybrid. The other putative hybrid, T. aucheriana,
is
also maintained as its own species, distinct from T.
humilis. If I were to
extrapolate what characteristics it contributed to the hybrid, I'd say
that
it maintains the dwarf habit, and gave the smart yellow zone within.
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What I like about this Tulip, is the range of
colors shown in the flowers,
worthy of close examination. The blooms are a rather unique coppery
melon color, the outside tinged with green, and inside, with prominent
black
anthers. Most tulips go through a metamorphosis of color, and this
one
is no less surprisingly, changing to an intense fiery red as the flowers
age
and the flower stems elongate from 3" to about 5" tall (shown in
the photo
below, taken approximately two weeks after the flowers first opened).
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