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I've seen some mentions online that they are, and that the stems taste like raw green beans. Here are a few links I've found:

One thing that worries me is the "deadly fungus" (that the first link mentions) which grows around decaying bulbs.

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The more interesting question: are they tasty? I have had hyacinth leaves and don't care for them. You can probably digest most green plants, but what's the point? –  rumtscho Feb 9 '12 at 0:25
I guess it's more of an "Is it poisonous?" question. Once I get that cleared up, then yes, "Is it tasty?" will certainly be what I'm most interested in :) –  Chris Laplante Feb 9 '12 at 0:28

2 Answers 2

You've already done some research but here's another link.


I've only ever used the petals for salads.

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The stem of certain kind of tulip has been used as asian medicine so I would believe after some simple processing, should be edible. But the rest of the tulip are known to contain toxins.

I have not heard of eating tulips. And since you mentioned it "taste like green beans" - do you really mean tulip, not lily? Tulip and lily belong to the some class but lily is safely edible (also tasty) and do "taste like green bean".

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I was just quoting the link I posted - I haven't tried eating them yet. –  Chris Laplante Feb 10 '12 at 19:40
In general, if something "has been used as a medicine", that's usually a clue that it's toxic as a food, not that it's benign. Medicines typically have a powerful effect on your physiology, that may be beneficial in case of specific illnesses. Some herbs that can be used medicinally are safe as spices, but not typically as food. If you look up known toxic plants, you'll also discover that very many of them have at one time or another been used (often unwisely) as a medicine. –  Theodore Murdock Feb 11 '12 at 0:16

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