Uzun-Akhmat Grape
Status: VU. Endemic species of Western Tien Shan.
Description. The vine reaches 25-30 m in length. The leaves are round in shape, 3-5 lobed or dissected, glabrous or hairy on the underside. The flowers are bisexual, in racemose inflorescences. The fruits are 5-10 mm in diameter, black-purple, pink, greenish-pink, green with juicy pulp, sweet or sweet-sour, sometimes with a slight astringency. The seeds are pear-shaped.
Biological features. In natural conditions, it blooms in May, fruits in late August-September. It regenerates by seeds. Rooting of the vine has not been observed in natural conditions. Cuttings can root.
Distribution general and in the country. It grows along the Uzun-Akhmat ridge. Limited areas on the Chaak-Too, Fergana, and Chatkal ridges.
Habitat. On the slopes and bottoms of ravines.
Population. Insignificant.
Limiting factors. Intensive economic development of territories and predatory harvesting of fruits with breakage of shoots.
Cultivation. Cultivated in the Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic since 1956. Vegetation begins in late April - early May. It blooms in mid-May, and the fruits ripen in September. Some specimens winter without shelter. It is grown in private gardens in Tashkumyr and the village of Karakul.
Existing conservation measures. Included in the Red Book of the Kyrgyz SSR (1985). A botanical reserve Ryazan-Sai has been created, where along with Uzun-Akhmat grape, other rare species will be protected.
Recommended conservation measures. Determine the current status of the species populations in the Ryazan-Sai gorge.
Uzun-Akhmat Grape
Vitis usunachmatica Vass.
Status: VU. This species of large liana is endemic to Western Tien Shan and is spread in the Uzun-Akhmat, Chatkal, Atoinok, Tchaak-Too, and Fergana Mountain Ranges. The species has value as a food plant and for grape selection. It populates bottomlands in ravines and sometimes slopes; the number is insignificant. Period of flowering: May, fruiting in late August and September; propagation is generative (by seeds) in nature, while in cultivation propagation is possible by grape cuttings (vegetative). It is cultivated in Bishkek Botanical Garden (since 1956) and in private gardens in Tash-Kumyr and Kara-Kul; some specimens hibernate without shelters. Limiting factors: intensive economic development of lands and damage to plants by grape collectors. This plant is included in the Red Book of the country and is protected in the Ryazan-Sai botanical wildlife area. Monitoring of the population is recommended for the conservation of the species.
