The Aime tulip

The Aime Tulip "Tulipa Aximensis" comes from the Latin "Axima", which was the Gallo-Roman name for the town that was the capital of the Tarentaise at the time. This protected tulip is a remarkable case of microendemism, coming from very old cultivations that have persisted in farmland.
These flowers used to grow on a 300m2 area near the Croix d'Aime, where they were last seen in 1970, before disappearing when the housing estate was built. Before the building work, a number of bulbs were harvested and propagated by Dutch growers and other individuals, enabling the species to be preserved. The tulip has become the symbol of the commune of Aime.
They can grow to over 30 cm. Their leaves are flat or slightly wavy and glaucous. The bulb is small with a brown tunic. The perianth is only slightly open. It is bell-shaped, dark red and whitish at the base. The petals always stand straight and are obtuse and mucronate. The outer petals are elliptical while the inner ones are more rounded.