Taking Inventory: Tulip

Tulips were added to Minecraft in Java version 1.7.2. They generate naturally in flower forest biomes, and more rarely in specific parts of plains and sunflower plains biomes. They’re the only Minecraft flower that comes in multiple colours, and each can be crafted into their respective colour of dye – except for white tulips, which actually make light grey dye. Maybe they should be called light grey tulips instead.

It’s possible to make suspicious stew from tulips, but we wouldn’t recommend that you eat it. In Minecraft, tulips tend to have a weakening effect on those who consume them, and you won’t be able to hit so hard.

In the real world, the Netherlands is the country most associated with tulips – and it grows more than three billion of them every year, the majority of which are exported. But Iran also has a strong relationship with tulips, and features a tulip-shaped emblem on its flag. The name "tulip" is thought to be derived from a Persian word for turban.

Real-world tulips also come in red, pink, orange and white, just like Minecraft – but also yellow, purple and a few other unusual colours – including black. They originate in Asia, and have been cultivated there since the 10th century.

In the early 17th century, European diplomats visiting the court of the Ottoman Empire discovered tulips, and were rather taken by them – bringing them back to Europe. There, they became so popular that they sparked a “tulip mania” in 1637 in The Netherlands, when some single bulbs sold for more than ten times the annual income of a skilled craftsperson. When the economic bubble inevitably burst, many investors went bankrupt.

But the next time you happen across a flower forest biome, it might still be worth hoarding a few chests full of different colours. Who knows? One day they might become valuable again, and in the meantime they’ll make a lovely decoration for your base.