Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Tulipa gesneriana

Tulipa gesneriana

8.9
A tall garden tulip with bright flowers that bloom in spring
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Tulipa gesneriana
  • Many gardeners consider the Tulipa gesneriana to be the classic garden tulip, prized for its vibrant petals.

Examples

  • Each spring, beds of Tulipa gesneriana fill public parks with an array of striking colors.

  • The Tulipa gesneriana blooms beautifully in spring.

  • Botanists often use Tulipa gesneriana as the reference point for describing other tulip varieties.

  • I planted several Tulipa gesnerianas in my garden.

  • In the garden, the Tulipa gesneriana showcases its vibrant flowers, attracting many visitors each spring.

  • Gardeners prize the Tulipa gesneriana for its tall stature and array of colors that brighten outdoor spaces.

  • Each year, Tulipa gesneriana is one of the first flowers to bloom, marking the arrival of spring in many gardens.

Surface Forms

Tulipa gesneriana singular
Tulipa gesnerianas plural

Morphology

Tulipa + gesneriana

The element 'Tulipa' clearly signals 'tulip', so a learner who knows the constituents can infer this refers to a kind of tulip; however 'gesneriana' is a Latin specific epithet (a proper name-derived modifier) that does not convey independent descriptive meaning to a B1 learner. Botanical binomials are systematic (genus + epithet) so the general sense 'a species of tulip' is derivable but the precise species identity and nuances are not predictable without extra domain knowledge.

Etymology

Tulipa gesneriana may come from two parts: Tulipa, from a Turkish word for 'turban' because the flower's shape looked like a small turban, and gesneriana, named for the Swiss botanist Konrad Gesner. So this name is used today for the 'classic garden tulip'.