Tulips originated in Southern Europe and Central Asia; there are about 75 species distributed across 4 subgenera. Tulips are perennial herbaceous geophytes: perennial describes plants able to live for more than two seasons, herbaceous plants lack a woody stem growing above ground, and a geophyte plant makes use of a storage organ, typically a bulb, corm, rhizome or tuber, for storing food during the dormant stage. These bulbs are usually concealed underground to protect them from adverse weather and grazing herbivores.
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In 1826, the British built the Rideau Canal to link the Ottawa River to Lake Ontario. The project attracted new settlers and the village of Bytown was created. The name was changed to Ottawa in 1855, a name the local Algonguin tribe had been using in referring to the river for its importance of serving as a commercial waterway. In 1857, Queen Victoria had the final word in settling a dispute between the cities of Montreal, Toronto, Kingston, Quebec, and Ottawa to determine Canada’s capital city. Her choice was based on Ottawa’s central location between the two existing Canadian colonies at the time: Quebec and Ontario.
