Pink Tulip
Status: EN. A narrowly endemic species of the foothills of the Turkestan Range, sharply declining in numbers. The species is on the brink of extinction; its further existence is impossible without urgent conservation measures.
Description. The bulb is small, up to 2 cm in diameter, covered with black leathery tunics, with hairy-woolly interiors at the top, often extending to the soil surface. A low plant, 7-20 cm tall. The stem is bare with three bluish, curled, spaced, and tapering, bare leaves. The lower leaf is linear-lanceolate and exceeds the height of the flower. The flower is solitary, up to 4.5 cm tall. The tepals are pink, with a bluish-raspberry exterior and a small black spot at the base on the inside. The outer tepals are elliptic-rhombic in shape, while the inner ones are inversely ovate. The stamens are bare, black, purplish at the top, equal to the anthers. The anthers are yellow. The pistil is pale pink, with a short style, shorter than the stamens. The immature capsule is up to 1 cm in diameter and 1.5 cm long with a short beak.
Biological features. It blooms in March-April and fruits in May-June. It reproduces by bulbs and seeds.
Distribution in general and in the country. Eastern part of the foothills of the Turkestan Range (Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan). In Kyrgyzstan, it is found in the outcrops of particolored deposits in the arid mountains around the city of Sulyukta.
Habitat. Particolored deposits with sparse desert vegetation in the lower mountain belt, at altitudes of 600-1200 m above sea level.
Population. The species is threatened with extinction.
Limiting factors. Development of habitats, mass collection of flowers.
Cultivation. Experience of cultivation in Kyrgyzstan has not yielded positive results. Bulbs planted in the fall partially bloom the following year, but later almost all perish.
Existing conservation measures. Listed in the Red Book of the Kyrgyz SSR in 1985 and in the Red Book of the Tajik SSR in 1979. In Kyrgyzstan, a small part of the populations is located in the botanical reserve "Sulyukta".
Recommended conservation measures. A rare ornamental plant with a limited distribution. It is necessary to study the populations in nature. Ensure habitat protection. Prohibit livestock grazing in areas of species concentration until seed set. Organize botanical reserves.
Мала кызыл мандалак
Pink Tulip
Tulipa rosea Vved.
Status: EN. This critically endangered species is a rare endemic of the northern piedmonts of the Turkestan Mountain Range (Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan), an ornamental plant with a narrow distribution and sharply declining population. It inhabits low-montane particolored bedrocks with sparse vegetation. Flowering period: March - April, fruiting in June - July. Reproduction occurs both by seeds and daughter bulbs; introduction into cultivation in Kyrgyzstan has been unsuccessful. Limiting factors include economic development of lands and mass collection of flowers. The species was included in the Red Book of Tajikistan in 1979 and in the Red Book of Kyrgyzstan in 1985; however, only a small population is under formal protection in Kyrgyzstan in the "Sulyukta" botanical wildlife area. Necessary conservation measures include a complete prohibition on flower collection and pasturage during the growing season, the creation of additional botanical wildlife areas, and the study of natural populations.
