Albanian Tulip

Tulipa albanica is a perennial herb with an ovoid to ovoid-globose bulb, 1.5–2.5 cm in diameter, and glaucous to greyish-green, glabrous leaves. Its flowers are solitary or very rarely two, large, and erect, occurring in yellow to golden-yellow or carmine-scarlet to deep reddish-maroon forms. The perianth segments are slightly unequal, with outer segments elliptical to obovate and inner segments elliptic-oblanceolate to obovate-spathulate. The species is distinguished from T. scardica and T. schrenkii by its strongly undulate and canaliculate lower leaves, long-tapering upper leaves, and absence of a basal black blotch on the tepals. It is also distinguished by its golden-yellow filaments and smaller capsules with larger seeds compared to T. scardica.