Tulip breaking virus
（重定向自Tulip Breaking potyvirus）
![](/Images/godic/202502/18/TBVtulip0306.jpg")
![Gouache on paper drawing, before 1640, of the Semper Augustus, famous for being the most expensive tulip sold during tulip mania. The effects of the Tulip breaking virus are seen in the striking streaks of white in its red petals.](/Images/godic/202502/18/Semper_Augustus_Tulip_17th_century0306.jpg")
The Tulip breaking virus is one of five plant viruses of the family Potyviridae that cause color-breaking of tulip flowers. These viruses infect only two genera of plants: Tulipa (tulips) and Lilium (lilies), (family Liliaceae). Tulip-breaking virus (TBV), Tulip top-breaking virus (TTBV), Tulip bandbreaking virus (TBBV), Rembrandt tulip-breaking virus (ReTBV) and Lily mottle virus (LMoV) have all been identified as potyviruses by serology and potyvirus-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR). In addition, sequence analysis of amplified DNA fragments has classified them all as distinct viruses or strains; recently TTBV has been found to be strain-related to turnip mosaic virus.