Floriculture Many species of Lilieae (in genera
Tulipa,
Fritillaria,
Lilium, and
Erythronium) and Calochortoideae (
Calochortus and
Tricyrtis) are grown as
ornamental plants worldwide. Within these genera a wide range of
cultivars have been developed by
breeding and
hybridisation. They are generally used in outdoor
gardens and other displays, although in common with many bulbous flowering plants they are often induced to bloom indoors, particularly during the
winter months. They also form a significant part of the
cut flower market, in particular
Tulipa and
Lilium.
Tulips Tulips have been cultivated since at least the tenth century in
Persia. Tulip production has two main markets:
cut flowers and
bulbs. The latter are used, in turn, to meet the demand for bulbs for parks, gardens, and home use and, secondly, to provide the necessary bulbs for cut flower production.
International trade in cut flowers has an approximate total value of 11 billion
euros, which provides an indication of the economic importance of this activity. The main producer of tulip bulbs is the
Netherlands, a country that accounts for 87% of the global cultivated area, with approximately 12,000
hectares. Other leading producers include
Japan,
France and
Poland. Approximately ten other countries produce commercial tulips, largely for the
domestic market. By contrast, the Netherlands is the leading international producer, to the extent of 4 billion bulbs per annum. Of these, 53% are used for the cut flower market and the remainder for the dry bulb market. Of the cut flowers, 57% are used for the domestic market in the Netherlands and the remainder exported. Original
Tulipa species can be obtained for ornamental purposes, such as
T. tarda and
T. turkestanica. These are referred to as
species, or botanical, tulips, and tend to be smaller plants but better at
naturalising than the cultivated forms. Breeding programs have produced a wide range of tulip types, enabling blooming through a much longer season by creating early, mid- and late spring varieties. Fourteen distinct types are available in addition to botanical tulips, including Lily-flowered, Fringed, Viridiflora, and Rembrandt. In addition to blooming season, tulip varieties differ in shape and height, and exhibit a wide range of colours, both pure and in combination.
Lilies The largest area of production is also the Netherlands, with 76% of the global cultivated area, followed by
France,
Chile,
Japan, the
United States,
New Zealand and
Australia. Approximately ten countries produce lilies commercially altogether. About half of the commercial production is for cut flowers. Many of these countries export bulbs as well as supplying the domestic market. The Netherlands produces about 2,200 million lily bulbs annually, of which 96% is used domestically and the remainder exported, principally within the
European Union. One particularly important crop is the production of
Lilium longiflorum, whose white flowers are associated with purity and Easter. Although many
Lilium species such as
L. martagon and
L. candidum can be obtained commercially, the majority of commercially available lilies represent the products of a very diverse hybridisation program, which has resulted in a separate horticultural classification, including such groupings as Asian, Oriental and Orienpet. In addition to a very wide variety of heights, lilies can be obtained in many colours and combinations of colours, and if properly selected can produce an extensive blooming season from early summer to autumn.
Other A variety of
Fritillaria species are used as early spring ornamental flowers. These vary from the large
F. imperialis (crown imperial) available in a number of colours such as yellow or orange, to much smaller species such as
F. meleagris or
F. uva-vulpis with their chequered patterns.
Erythronium is less common but a popular cultivar is 'Pagoda' with its sulphur yellow flowers.
Calochortus (mariposa lily) may be sold as a mixture or as cultivars.
Propagation in the leaf axils of
Lilium lancifolium Methods of
propagation include both sexual and
asexual reproduction. Commercial cultivars are usually sterile.
Sexual reproduction Seeds can be used for propagation of the plant or to create
hybrids and can take five to eight years to produce flowering plants. Since
interspecific cross-pollination occurs, overlapping wild populations can create natural hybrids.
Asexual reproduction • Bulb
offsets: Daughter bulbs that form on the mother bulb and can be detached. •
Micropropagation techniques including
tissue culture. •
Bulbils, which are
adventitious bulbs formed on the parent plant's stem. • Scaling and
twin-scaling, used to increase production in slower-growing varieties, in which multiple whole scales are detached from a single bulb. Bulb
offsets and
tissue culture produce genetic
clones of the parent plant and thus maintaining genetic integrity of the cultivars. Bulb offsets usually require at least a year before flowering. Commercially, plants may be propagated
in vitro and then planted out to grow into plants large enough to sell. == Toxicity ==