The name tulip, which first appeared in the English language as tulipa or tulipant, has quite a history of evolution through French, Modern Latin, Ottoman Turkish and finally traced to its Persian origin of dulband, which means āroundā, turban-likeā or āgauzeā.
The tulip, in its rounded petal form before fully opening, is likened to the shape of the gauzy turbans worn by the natives of that region. The scientific name for the genus is Tulipa, which has over 110 species and thousands of hybrids and cultivars.
A member of the Lily (Liliaceae) plant family, the tulip is a perennial, bulbous plant that blooms in a large variety of colors from early to mid-spring, depending on the climate.