Flora of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan
The totality of all plant species is called flora. The totality of all instances of plants covering a certain territory is called vegetation.
The diversity of the flora of Kyrgyzstan is explained by its geographical location and serves as a crossroads of floras from different natural and climatic zones. The plant world of Kyrgyzstan includes over 3,500 species. Among them are many fodder, medicinal, tanning, essential oil, and rubber-producing plants that are widely used in the national economy. No less than a quarter of its species are found nowhere else. About 3% of the territory of the republic is covered by forests, including the largest forest of nut-bearing trees in the world. Kyrgyzstan is rich in medicinal plants.
Kyrgyzstan is a mountainous country. Therefore, the distribution of vegetation here is subject to the laws of altitudinal zonation. The following types of natural complexes are distinguished within Kyrgyzstan: deserts, steppes, meadows and meadow-steppes, forests, alpine meadows, and tundra. Since mountains occupy a large part of the country, the flora is predominantly represented by mountain vegetation.
In the glacial zone (above 5,000 m), only a few species of plants are found. The conditions here are very harsh, similar to those in the tundra, and only plants suitable for this zone grow. The mid-mountain zone (from 1,500 to 3,500 m) is characterized by forest-meadow-steppe vegetation. This is the most convenient zone for tourism. The abundance of vegetation and a comfortable climate allow for the planning and implementation of the most popular tourist programs in this zone. The forests of Kyrgyzstan contain more than 120 species of trees, along with many exotic shrubs. The most common are spruce, fir-spruce, juniper, and nut-bearing forests, as well as a special floodplain forest known as the toky. The alpine zone is home to the famous high-altitude pastures called djailoo, covered with grasses, feather grass, and other herbs. Our meadows are special; they amaze with the richness and diversity of flowering plants.
Kyrgyzstan also has high-altitude deserts, located on the syrts (high-altitude plains) at an altitude of over 3,000 meters above sea level. In these places, very little precipitation falls, and even in summer, frosts occur almost every day.
Forests are one of the most important natural resources. In Kyrgyzstan, they cover 705,000 hectares. One of the most valuable forest areas in the republic is the unique relic nut-bearing forest, which is the only one of its kind in the world, concentrated in the south of Kyrgyzstan. This rare and beautiful corner of our mountainous region represents a natural botanical garden, where about 130 species of trees and shrubs grow, including walnuts, pistachios, almonds, pears, wild plums, and barberry.
In these forests, between 600 and 15,500 tons of nuts, 5,000 tons of apples, pistachios, and fresh plums are harvested annually.
Senior researcher at the nut-bearing station of the Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz SSR, V. S. Shevchenko, has developed 8 new varieties of walnuts, among which are "Oshsky," "Dessert," and "Ideal" — fast-bearing, frost-resistant, and the dream of nut growers.
What kind of wonder is this? We are used to imagining a walnut tree as a giant up to 30 meters tall. But the "Ideal" is a dwarf hazel, a green tree one meter tall from the ground, covered with nuts weighing about ten grams each.
A natural walnut begins to bear fruit after 10 to 15, or even 20 years, while the new variety "Ideal" bears fruit after just two years. New varieties of walnuts developed in Kyrgyzstan can be found in the Krasnodar region, Crimea, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Georgia. The world of plants is vast, but we will limit ourselves to describing only some of the most well-known species representing various altitudinal zones.
The world of plants is vast, but we will limit ourselves to describing only some of the most well-known species representing various altitudinal zones.
Juniper is a miracle tree, one of the longest-living plants, living up to 2,000 years. The age of some trees reaches 3,000 years. In the Tian Shan mountains, there are specimens of juniper that reach 10 m in diameter. Juniper forests make up more than 40% of all forests in Kyrgyzstan. In terms of area, juniper forests in Kyrgyzstan rank first in the world. The tallest juniper reaches 16 meters. Juniper often grows alongside spruce and other coniferous trees.
Juniper forests make up half of all forests in the country.
By releasing phytoncides, juniper trees contribute to air purification. Juniper forests protect the slopes of mountains from erosion and act as water accumulators. It is no coincidence that it has long been believed that a child sleeping in a juniper cradle will grow into a talented hero, and a sarcophagus made of juniper will preserve the bodies of the deceased in an incorruptible state.
In the historical museum of Bishkek, there is an exhibition of a woman's mummy found in a juniper tomb in the village of Kochkorka. It is believed that she was buried 500 years ago.
Currently, juniper wood is widely used: it is used to extract resin for varnishing wooden products, essential oil, and for making pencils. Therefore, it is often called pencil wood.
The blooming cotton fields in the Osh region are astonishingly beautiful. Large bright cream flowers bloom and live for only one day. The most amazing thing is that the color of each flower changes from beginning to end, that is, throughout the day. At first, when the buds open, the petals are cream, then they begin to turn pink, in the second half of the day they turn red, and by the end of the day they become almost purple before wilting. After flowering, seeds begin to ripen in the pod, densely covered with hairs. This is the cotton fiber. During the mass opening of the pods, the cotton fields are also very beautiful — as if covered with flakes of snow.
Cotton not only provides valuable fiber but also vegetable oil. It is also used to make paper, film, cotton wool, glass, and much more.
In Kyrgyzstan, the Tian Shan spruce — Schrenk's spruce is widely distributed. This beautiful tree has a dense conical crown, reaching heights of up to 60 m, and the trunk diameter can reach one and a half meters. The spruce lives for 380 to 450 years.
The most powerful specimens are found on the slopes of the Terskey Alatoo and Kungoy Alatoo, where conditions for its growth are very favorable. Forests of Tian Shan spruce make up more than 12% of the forest area of the republic.
The wood of the spruce is light, white, and soft, used in construction and for making musical instruments.
It is also used to extract resin, tar, turpentine, rosin, and wood vinegar, as well as tannins.
The Tian Shan is called the land of onions. Wild onions are indeed very abundant here. They grow from the foothills to the snowy ridges. In total, more than 60 diverse species of onions are found in Kyrgyzstan. Many species are edible and successfully replace common onions. Some species of mountain onions are so beautiful that they can be cultivated as decorative plants, successfully enhancing flower beds and gardens.
The largest thickets of ephedra are found in Kyrgyzstan. More than 1,000 tons are harvested here annually. Its twigs contain more than 2% ephedrine, as well as tannins. Therefore, it has long been used as a medicinal plant. Ephedrine, which is obtained from ephedra, is used to treat bronchial asthma, whooping cough, and other diseases. Interestingly, its close relatives (spruce, pine, larch, fir) grow in forests, while ephedra grows in desert-steppe and mountainous areas.
The so-called medium ephedra forms entire thickets on the rocks and rocky slopes of the mountains around Lake Issyk-Kul, in the Boom Gorge. This ephedra does not contain ephedrine and is used as fuel.
The amazing sea buckthorn plant! In Kyrgyzstan, it is widely distributed not only along the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul but also in almost all areas along riverbanks, forming dense impenetrable thickets, which the locals call chychyrkanak. It grows along riverbanks. This plant is dioecious: male and female flowers are found on different bushes. The orange sour fruits with a hint of pineapple densely cover the branches of the bushes — hence the name of the plant. It is most commonly found in the floodplain of the Chu River and on the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul. The oil extracted from sea buckthorn juice is considered healing and promotes rapid wound healing. The fruits of sea buckthorn contain carotene, malic and other organic acids (up to 2.7%), sugars (up to 3.5%), tannins, vitamins C, B2, E, and others. It is widely used in medicine. Sea buckthorn oil, obtained from the fruits, is especially valued. Currently, sea buckthorn is listed in the Red Book and is protected by law.
Semenov's fir is a tree over 30 m tall, with dense dark green needles and a pyramidal crown. This tree has high decorative properties. Fir forests in Kyrgyzstan occupy an area of 6,000 hectares, mainly concentrated in the Chatkal Ridge.
Tulips are the pride of the Tian Shan. There are over 80 species of tulips in the world, nearly 70 of which grow in Central Asia. In our country, wild tulips of 22 species are found, of which 8 species are very rare. The king of tulips is recognized as Greig's tulip. This species has the largest flower and spotted leaves. Among them are: Albert's tulip — with a large bright red, raspberry, or yellow flower, black in the center; Kaufmann's tulip — with reddish-purple outer tepals, white or pink inside with a yellow spot at the base, less commonly white; Ostrovsky's tulip — with elegant red, orange-red, or yellow flowers with a black spot in the center. These species are included in the Red Book. They have been cultivated and tested in many botanical gardens in the country. The collection of tulips is strictly prohibited.
The flower appears quite harmless: a tall stem, blue and purple flowers, deeply lobed leaves. But the flower is far from simple. The root of the plant contains a potent toxin, which, like any poison, is used in microdoses for medicinal purposes. This is the famous Issyk-Kul root.
Capers are a perennial herbaceous prickly sprawling plant that prefers dry places. It grows along roads, canals, in old fields, in cracks of rocks and buildings. It does not grow high in the mountains. It blooms in May-June and bears fruit in July-August. The ripe fruits have a sweet red pulp. Before ripening, caper fruits closely resemble small watermelons. The caper is an edible and medicinal plant, and a good honey plant.
Tian Shan Eremurus. The flora of the Kyrgyz mountains includes 15 species of eremurus. Scientists have discovered a special substance called eremuran in the roots of this plant. If added to ice cream, it does not melt for a long time. In ancient times, glue made from eremurus roots was added to the solution used to make durable adobe bricks for building mosques and palaces.
Tian Shan spruce is found at altitudes from 1,400 to 2,800 meters. The largest spruces reach a height of 50 meters, and their trunk diameter is about two meters. Such a spruce has a narrow pyramidal crown. The tree is unique in that it can emit an electromagnetic field, creating glowing discharges. Before a thunderstorm or at dusk, bright tongues of bluish flame glow above the tops of the tallest spruces, making the pointed spruce resemble a giant candle.
Pistachio is a very valuable plant. Its fruits are highly nutritious and have medicinal properties. Clusters of resin — galls — form on the branches of this plant, from which pistachio paint of various shades is obtained, used for dyeing fabrics. The pistachio's range is the warm, dry foothills of the Fergana Range.
Edelweiss is a high-altitude plant found at altitudes over 2,000 m. Perhaps that is why this unusual silver-colored flower has been chosen as a symbol of mountaineering and high altitudes. Edelweiss is widely distributed in Kyrgyzstan. A huge number of edelweiss bloom in the spaces around the morainic lakes under Lenin Peak. Unusually large edelweiss can be found in Jeti-Oguz and around Lake Son-Kul.
