Red Tulip Meaning

In general, the color red in flowers is usually associated with love so it also follows that the red tulip would mean eternal love, perfect love, true love, undying love and more.

Aside from the color, the red tulip was believed to be a symbol for love because of one legend associated with it. The main character in this Persian legend is Farhad and Shirin.

Farhad loves Shirin who is a beautiful young princess but did not have the courage to confess his love. When he heard news of Shirin’s death, he wallowed in grief and committed suicide. It is said that red tulips blossomed in the same spot where droplets of his blood fell. Ever since then, the red tulips became the symbol for true and eternal love. It also became a symbol for declaration of love since the world came to know how much Farhad loved Shirin through the red tulips.

• Name: Red Tulip
• Color: Red
• Shape: Usually comes in cup shape or could also be in star shape when laid flat.
• Fact: Red tulips or tulips in general still grow after it is cut. In can grow up to one inch or even more.
• Poisonous: Yes but it’s seldom lethal.
• Number of Petals: It has 3 sepals and also 3 petals.
• Victorian Interpretation: Declaration of love and the wait for an honest answer from the person you love. It also means believe me.
• Blossom Time: Blooming season can range from April to June where early bloomers are those that blossomed in April and late bloomers in June.
• Superstitions: It is said that pixies loves to live in a patch of red tulips.

What the Red Tulip Means:

Another meaning of red tulips is irresistible love or a person’s belief in true love. In Netherlands and some parts of Europe, the red tulip means being on fire with love. This again sprung from a 16th century legend in Persia. It is said that the Sultan of Persia showed his affection and love through the use of crimson tulips.  He said that this shows his burning flame of love. This is probably because the first red tulips are characterized as having a tinged black mark at the bottom of each petal. They said that the black mark in the crimson tulips showed the charred sultan’s heart.

In fengshui, having a red tulip in your home is said to bring wealth together with love. It’s also said that it helps to bring a person rise to fame and recognition. As for wedding traditions, using red tulips signifies the love of the newly wed for each other.

• The Shape: When the red tulip flower is in an upright position, it has a cup shape figure but it’s star shaped when laid flat.
• Petals:The petals of a red tulip can either be solid in color or may come with some sort of markings. However, all red tulips come with 6 tepals composed of 3 sepals and 3 petals.
• Numerology: The tulip has a numerical expression of 6 that represents those who are lovable and has attractive personality.
• Color: The color red is often color associated with passion and love. So just like a red rose, the red tulip is also associated with romantic meanings.

Herbalism and Medicine

The red tulip maybe attractive to look at but when it comes to medicinal properties, it’s not looking very attractive as there is no known medicinal value associated with tulips in general. However, tulips are said to be edible and the Dutch ate it’s bulb during the great famine. The Japanese on the other hand have used tulips to produce flour.