暢談世界文化:36 芬芳郁金香 (1/2)

I want to get some flowers for my girlfriend's birthday but she absolutely hates roses. Have you thought about tulips? They’re from Holland, aren't they? Yes，they are grown in Holland, yes. But originally they came from Central Asia where they grew wild. Really? The flower was introduced in Western Europe and the Netherlands in the 17th century by Carolus Clusius, a famous biologist from Vienna. Oh, I see. Sounds like a good choice, they are very different to roses. Very different, some people believed they had medicinal powers. Well, I just need them to look pretty. They were very popular as a trading product, especially in Holland. Are your tulips very expensive? That was years ago. Nowadays they are very reasonably priced. We have many different kinds, because botanists in the 1500s found ways to make the tulips even more decorative and tempting. Hybrids and mutations of the flower were seen as rarities and a sign of high status. OK, so that must have marked the beginning of "Tulipmania", I think they are probably still as popular today. My parents love to go to Holland to see all of the different types growing there. I had never really considered buying them before, though.