23 mrt Tulipa
Tulipa Giganticae
Bartholomeus van der Valck, 1663
Not all historical remnants are visible today. A Dutch soil researcher and discoverer named Gijsbertus van der Valck discovered a remarkable plant on Mauritius. It looked like a giant tulip that could grow up to two metres in height.
The researcher tried to protect this unique plant, but the specimens he sent back to the Netherlands did not survive the trip. During long, windless periods, the crew was forced to conserve drinking water. This meant the plants had to go without and were eventually tossed overboard. The giant tulip was never spoken of or seen again. The only thing that remained was the plaster model.
An unhappy coincidence: the discovery site happens to be the same place where the dodo bird went extinct.
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