Tulip Fields, Keukenhof, The Netherlands

Although tulips are often associated with The Netherlands, commercial cultivation of the flower began in the Ottoman Empire. The tulip, or lale (from Persian لاله, lâleh) as it is also called in Iran and Turkey, is a flower indigenous to a vast area encompassing parts of Africa, Asia, and Europe. The word tulip, which earlier appeared in English in forms such as tulipa or tulipant, entered the language by way of French tulipe and its obsolete form tulipan or by way of Modern Latin tulīpa, from Ottoman Turkish tülbend ("muslin" or "gauze"), and is ultimately derived from Persian dulband ("turban").
Cultivation
Tulips are indigenous to mountainous areas with temperate climates and need a period of cool dormancy. They do best in climates with long, cool springs and early summers. Although perennials, they are often replanted annually in warmer areas of the world.