Petunnikov’s Almond
Status: VU. One of 40 species growing from the Mediterranean to Central Asia. A relict narrow-endemic species.
Description. A shrub up to 1 m tall. The branches are bare, with spikeless leaves. 2 - 3 cm long and 3 - 5 (10) mm wide, narrow-lanceolate with a sharp wedge-shaped base, with short petioles. Flowers are pink on short pedicels. The fruits are asymmetrical, with a slanting base, covered with dense, reddish pubescence, the stone is ridged and grooved on the surface.
Biological features. It blooms in mid-April. Fruits ripen in September. Vegetation ends in late September - early October. Propagation is by seeds. In natural conditions, self-seeding is almost absent.
General distribution and in the country. Western Tien Shan (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan). In Kyrgyzstan - Chatkal (basin of the Chatkal River) and Talas (western part) mountain ranges.
Habitat. Northern gravelly slopes in the zone of tree and shrub vegetation.
Population. Data is lacking.
Limiting factors. Excessive grazing of livestock in the areas where the species grows.
Cultivation. Cultivated in the Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic since 1965. It begins to vegetate in the first half of April. It blooms in mid-April, and the fruits ripen in late September. Usually winters without damage; in years with sharp fluctuations in winter temperatures, some plants die.
Existing conservation measures. Included in the list of species protected by the state, approved by the Council of Ministers of the Kyrgyz SSR in 1975. Listed in the Red Book of the Kyrgyz SSR (1985).
Recommended conservation measures. Organization of botanical reserves in areas with higher concentrations of the species: in the Chatkal mountain range, in the basin of the Chatkal River, and in the western part of the Talas mountain range; introduction in the botanical garden.
Petunnikov’s Almond
Amygdalus petunnikowii Litv
Status: VU. This narrow-endemic relic shrub is endemic to the West Tien Shan; in Kyrgyzstan, it is known in the western part of the Talas Mountain Range and in the basin of the Chatkal River (northern slope of the Chatkal Mountain Range). Small groups occur on metal slopes of northern exposition, in the zone of arboreal vegetation and between shrubs. Period of flowering: mid-April, fruiting in September, propagation is generative, but reproduction is almost absent in nature. The population size is unknown. Limiting factors: weak propagation and excessive cattle grazing in habitats. It has been cultivated in the Bishkek Botanical Garden since 1965, as well as in other botanical gardens. This plant is included in the list of endangered and protected species by a special governmental decree of the Kyrgyz SSR in 1975. It is recommended to study the current state of populations and to create botanical wildlife areas in habitats for the preservation of the species.
