This fall marks the 400th anniversary of the tulip's introduction to Holland. The first were planted at the University of Leiden in Autumn of 1593.

From the beginning, enterprising Dutchmen sought to use their skill with plants to improve on nature's efforts. One hybridizer's dream that has caught the imagination of novelists, historians and the public is to create the elusive "black tulip."

By introducing a parent with particular desirable traits, a hybridizer seeks to "cross in" characteristics that will result in his "dream flower." Sometimes his skill lies in recognizing the "happy accidents" that can occur in cross-breeding.

Hybridizers typically look to create a pleasing and practical harmony of attributes. Sometimes, though, the quest for a single attribute can capture the hybridizing community's imagination. The fabled quest for the "black tulip" is perhaps the best known example. According to the Netherlands Flower Bulb Information Center, though this task has been taken very seriously by some, and stunning results have been achieved, many experts insist that true, absolute black is actually impossible to achieve.

"What is possible, and what has already been done well, is to create tulips that are a deep, dark purple. Close to black, very close, but not really black," says Frans Roozen, technical director of Holland's International Flower Bulb Center. However true that may be, the legendary quest will probably continue. LASN