The botanical name for tulips, Tulipa , is derived from the Turkish word tulpend or turban, which the flower resembles. Wild tulips are native to Turkey and western and central Asia, with only a few species occurring in Europe.
Many people think of Holland as the home of the tulip.
In fact tulips were unknown there until about the 16th century. Many cultivated varieties were widely grown in Turkey long before they were introduced to European gardens. The botanist Clusius is credited with first growing tulips from seed sent from Turkey. In 1593 he became Professor of Botany at the University of Leiden and planted tulips in his garden there. They were soon widely distributed throughout Holland and began appearing elsewhere in Europe.