Crown imperial, colloquially known as “upside-down tulip” or “crying bride,” adorns the fields and rocks across the eastern region of Turkey. The unique flower, which blooms for up to 20 days a year, is ubiquitous in some parts of the region.
From locals to photographers to tourists, everyone flocks to the cities, from Van to Kahramanmaraş in the south to see this natural wonder in red or yellow.
The flower is usually endemic to higher ground and remains in bloom until mid-May, a period that varies based on weather conditions. They are the harbinger of a genuine spring for the region where winter is longer than elsewhere in Turkey and snowfall and precipitation lingers into March and sometimes, April.
The bulbous plant, which sometimes reaches a height of 40 centimeters (15.7 inches), is under strict preservation due to its short life and limited habitat. Picking the plant is subject to a fine of $7,389 (TL 109,593). In the southeastern province of Diyarbakır, crews comprising police, national park guards and security officers patrol the areas that have clusters of the crown imperial to ensure they are intact.
Though the plant is used in the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industry elsewhere, in Turkey, its collection and/or transfer outside the place it grows is strictly banned. Turkey has stepped up its efforts against bio-smuggling in recent years.
The highest interest in crown imperial is from photographers, especially the professionals who specialize in nature photography. In Kahramanmaraş’ Afşin district, they climb a steep hill around 1.5 kilometers (almost 1 mile) high, to take photos of the plant. “I took photos of upside-down tulips everywhere, from Tunceli to Muş, but this place is special,” Mustafa Ertekin, a photographer, told Anadolu Agency (AA). “Here, they bloom on the steep banks of a stream, in a place not easily accessible, unlike their habitat elsewhere. It is like a message for people, to deter them from picking them or spoiling their habitat,” he says.
Crown imperial, native to parts of Turkey, as well as Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, northern regions of India and Himalayan foothills, is used as an ornamental plant elsewhere. The crown-like shape of the plant gives it its name, while “crying bride” takes its name from the pendent form of blossoms and nectar drops similar to tears.
