'Broken'tulips and Tulip Breaking Virus
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‘Broken’tulips and Tulip breaking virus ue to their beauty, range popular in Europe and, soon after, of colours and early bulbs were distributed from Vienna to flowering, tulips have Augsberg, Antwerp and Amsterdam, remained popular as and subsequently to other European garden plants and cut cities. blooms since they were DDfirst imported into Europe from Asia Tulip breaking virus Minor and Persia more than four and a Of the viruses now known to infect half centuries ago. Their introduction is tulips and cause ‘breaking’, the best usually attributed to Ogier de Bus- known is Tulip breaking virus (TBV) becque who, in 1554, first sent tulip which induces leaf chlorosis and, in bulbs and seeds to Vienna. This, of coloured cultivars, ‘broken’ flowers. course, was only a few years after the Breaking, or rectification as it was also deaths of great historical figures such earlier known, describes the appear- as Henry VIII, Martin Luther, Pope ance of the flowers in which the petals, Clement VII and Francis I of France, instead of being uniformly coloured, and when Tsar Ivan IV (Ivan the are variegated due to the irregular Terrible) was at his most powerful. It distribution of anthocyanin. Such is interesting that Busbecque, Ambas- ‘broken’ flowers are known to have ᭡ Illustration of ‘Tulip cv. Semper Augustus’ sador of Ferdinand I, the Holy Roman occurred in tulips in Europe within a taken from The Tulip Book (circa 1630– Emperor, to the great Sultan Souleiman, decade or so of their introduction and It’s hard to believe that in the 17th century people yearned 1639). Netherlands Economic History the Ottoman Emperor (known to have since featured commonly in art Archive Europeans as the Magnificent and and history. As early as 1585 Carolus to possess a diseased flowering bulb. Yet as Alan Brunt and ᭤ ’Broken’ tulips, yellow and pink roses in a to his subjects as the Lawgiver), Clusius, Professor of Botany in Leiden, glass vase on a stone ledge, with a bottle of considered in such turbulent times the described how some red-, yellow- and ink and a piece of paper identifying the collection of plants new to the western purple-flowered tulips in subsequent John Walsh describe, tulips with variegated petals due a virus tulips, by Jan Phillip van Thielen (1645–1650). Reproduced with the world an important duty. After their years produced flowers that became permission of Richard Green Galleries introduction, tulips were immediately variegated (or, as later described, infection once commanded higher prices than works of art. 68 microbiology today may 05 microbiology today may 05 69 ‘broken’). The cause of breaking was mania is reported as affecting not only induced by analogy with other plant diseases; some evidence then unknown and, not surprisingly the wealthy, but also other citizens, In 1637, the year of for this was produced during the following decade when in in the absence of knowledge, was including bricklayers, plumbers, 1927 it was shown to be sap-transmissible (although in the attributed to various causes, including swineherds, clergymen and teachers. ‘tulipomania’, it is recorded early 1600s it was shown that breaking could be transmitted an unsuitable planting depth for bulbs, The history of this period has been mechanically by ‘grafting’ half a healthy bulb to half a broken applications of manure that were told repeatedly, but is worth restating that a bulb sold for 10,000 tulip bulb) and in 1928 to be transmitted by aphids. It was too high or too low, a soil that was briefly. In 1637, the year of so-called not until the 1960s that TBV was shown to have flexuous too poor or too rich, or an inclement ‘tulipomania’, it is recorded that a bulb florins, the price of a filamentous particles mostly measuring about 12× 750 nm climate. Broken flowers produced by of Semper Augustus sold for 10,000 and thus to be a virus. The genetic code of TBV has now been tulips in the year or two after becoming florins, this amount was then the price partially sequenced and the virus is recognized as a member infected are undoubtedly beautiful, of a house, gardens and coach house desirable house and gardens of the genus Potyvirus (family Potyviridae). Like other mem- but thereafter the vigour and flower in a very desirable location near the bers of the genus it is now readily detected and identified by quality of infected plants decline canal in central Amsterdam. However, in central Amsterdam serological and molecular techniques. Today broken tulips markedly. Clusius first observed in this was also the year in which there can be purchased that are the result of plant breeding, not 1585 that such plants slowly degener- were more sellers than buyers and It is also recounted that the Professor of Botany at Leiden virus infection. As TBV-infected bulbs gradually degenerate, ated and this is well expressed, if rather eventually the market in tulips (a successor to Clusius) developed such an intense hatred this can be minimized by removing and destroying ‘broken’ grandiloquently, in his words ‘…any collapsed. of tulips that he demolished any he saw with his walking cane. bulbs quickly before aphids spread the virus to other bulbs tulip thus changing its original colour is There are numerous contemporary and other hosts such as lilies. usually ruined afterwards and so wanted satirical poems, essays, cartoons and Tulips in still life paintings only to delight its master’s eyes with this paintings on the follies of the tulip Due to the very high value of bulbs in the early 17th century, Alan Brunt variety of colours before dying, as if to speculators. As early as 1614 fun was it cost less for some citizens to commission Dutch and Associate Professor of Warwick University, Warwick HRI, bid him a last farewell’. However, in made of those spending large sums on Flemish artists to paint still life pictures which mainly Wellesbourne, Warwick CV35 9EF, UK (t 01903 785684; the 20th century TBV was described tulips; ‘a fool and his money is soon parted’ featured broken tulips rather than buy bulbs. Paintings by f 01903 785684; e [email protected]) occasionally as ‘the benevolent virus’, appears on an engraving of two tulips Maria van Ooterwyck, Simon Verelst, Ambrosius Bosschaert, probably due to an inadequate litera- by Claes Jansz, and in a painting by Jan Jan Brueghel, Brussel, Hans Bollongier and many other artists John Walsh ture search by the authors! Breughel the Younger, monkeys in are now exhibited in art galleries and museums worldwide. Research leader at Warwick HRI and Head of Virus– contemporary clothing are depicted Pictures of ‘broken’ tulips were also commonly printed in Vegetable Interactions Group, Warwick HRI, Tulip speculation in Holland dealing in tulips. In a classic cartoon, herbals such as Hortus Floridas, engraved by C. van de Passe in Wellesbourne, Warwick CV35 9EF, UK (t 024 765 Although infected bulbs gradually tulip speculators are seen within an inn 1614, which contains one of the earliest known illustrations 75028; f 024 765 74500; e [email protected]) degenerated, those producing broken (which is in the shape of a fool’s cap) of these flowers. flowers were very desirable and often named ‘At the Sign of the Fool’s Bulbs’ TBV was long thought from pictorial records to be the Further reading sold for high prices, especially during and, as a symbol of stupidity, has earliest recorded plant virus. However, it is now generally Blunt, W. (1950). Tulipomania. London: Penguin. the early 17th century. Financial outside Flora sitting on a donkey. The thought that the earliest reference to a virus-induced leaf Pavord, A. (2000). The Tulip. London: Bloomsbury. speculation in such bulbs was then cartoon has the caption ‘A picture of the chlorosis is described in a poem by the Japanese Empress common; for example, some bulbs of wonderful year 1637 when one fool Koken in AD 752: ‘For, the plant I saw in the field of summer the cv. Semper Augustus, the most beauti- hatched another and the idle rich lost their colour of the leaves were yellowing’. It is speculated that the Useful contact ful of broken red-flowered tulips, wealth and the wise lost their senses’. A described disease was possibly caused by Tobacco leaf curl The Wakefield and North of England Tulip Society is were each sold in Holland for 1,000 pamphleteer also satirically valued a virus, which is known to occur and cause similar symptoms dedicated to keeping older cultivars going, and breeding and florins in 1623 when the average tulip bulb as being equivalent to: in infected plants in Japan. showing new varieties. For further information contact Mr J.L. annual income was 150 florins. Two 12 fat sheep 1 silver goblet Akers, 70 Wrenthorpe Lane, Wrenthorpe, Wakefield WF2 0PT, years later, each good Semper Augustus 8 fat pigs 1 full dress suit Recent history UK (t 01924 375843). bulb sold for 2,400 florins, and in 4 fat oxen 1 bed (with linen) Although ‘broken’ tulips have occurred in Europe for over 1633 each bulb was valued at 5,500 8 tons of rye 2 hogsheads of wine four centuries, the cause of breaking was not established florins. Speculation in tulips reached 4 tons of wheat 4 barrels of beer unequivocally until almost 50 years ago. Immediately after its peak from 1634 to 1637, and the 1,000 lb of cheese 2 barrels of butter the end of World War I, breaking was thought to be virus- ᭡ Illustrations of ‘Tulip cv. de geele Admiral de Man’ (top) and ‘Tulip cv. Candida’ (bottom) taken from The Tulip Book (circa 1630–1639).