Greig’s Tulip / Тюльпан Греига, тюльпан пестролистный
Status: EN. A species with declining numbers and shrinking range. Central Asian endemic. A plant of high ornamental value, it is of exceptional importance for green construction, floriculture, and the breeding of new varieties of cultivated tulips.
Description. The bulb is oval, large up to 4 cm in diameter, with thin, reddish-brown tunics, densely hairy inside. It is located at a depth of 5-10 to 50-60 cm. The stem is thick, 10-50 cm tall, hairy at the top. Leaves are 3-5 in number, large, up to 20 cm long, bent back, wavy at the edges, ranging from elongated to broadly elliptic, bluish with lilac-purple streaks across the entire blade. The flower is solitary, large, and beautifully cup-shaped in various shades. Orange-red coloration predominates, with orange and yellow being less common. Tepals are up to 10-12 cm long, shortly pointed. The style is weakly expressed. The capsule is straw-yellow with a brownish tint, three-angled, up to 11 cm long, 3-4 cm in diameter. Seeds are light brown, obliquely oval.
Biological features. A perennial herbaceous bulbous plant. It blooms from late April to early May, in Bishkek from April 18-24, for 10-14 days; fruits from late May to June.
General distribution and in the country. Western and Northern Tien Shan (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan). In Kyrgyzstan - Kyrgyz and Talas ridges, basins of the Chon- and Kichi-Kemin rivers.
Habitat. Fine-soiled, gravelly, rocky slopes of foothills and mid-mountain belts.
Population. Found scattered.
Limiting factors. Grazing during the flowering period, collection of flowers and digging of bulbs.
Cultivation. Introduced into cultivation since the late 19th century. Seedlings bloom in the 3rd-4th year of life.
Existing conservation measures. Included in the Red Books of the Kazakh SSR (1981), USSR (1984), Uzbek SSR (1984), and Kyrgyz SSR (1985).
Recommended conservation measures. Organization of monitoring the status of populations in different areas of the range, reserves in areas with higher species numbers. Prohibit grazing during the flowering period, collection of flowers, and digging of bulbs.
Greig’s Tulip
Tulipa greigii Regel
Status: EN. It is a species endemic to North and West Tien Shan, an ornamental plant of the highest importance for selection (introduced into culture in the late 19th century). It reproduces by seeds (seedlings begin to blossom after the 3rd-4th year) and populates silty-soil and metal slopes with steppe vegetation in the piedmonts and mid-montane belt, in the Alexander, Talas, Chatkal Mountain Ranges, and Chu-Ili Mountains. Flowering period: end of April - beginning of May, fruiting in end of May - June. Limiting factors: pasturage during the flowering period and collecting of flowers and bulbs. Necessary conservation measures: prohibition of pasturage during the flowering period, prohibition of flower and bulb collecting.
