Tulipa polychroma is a charming miniature species with blueish-green foliage edged with a red margin and short-stemmed white flowers with a yellow centre. The outer petals have a broad greyish-olive green-mauve flush and the inner petals a delicate central line of greyish-olive green. Tiny pale echos of this line are found on either side of the central stripe at the base. There are usually several flowers per stem, opening wide to form tiny stars. A delicate and subtle species Tulip with a sweet fragrance; as far removed from a Dutch hybrid as it is possible to get.

Usually the earliest tulip to flower.