Pskem Onion
Status: EN. A very rare species with a shrinking range in the Western Tien Shan.
Description. A perennial plant reaching 40 - 80 cm in height. Bulbs are found in groups on a short rhizome, 4 - 5 cm thick, covered externally with black-brown and internally with red-brown tunics. The stem is swollen. Leaves are tubular, cylindrical, in number 3, shorter than the stem. The umbel is spherical, with the spathe nearly equal to the umbel. Flowers are white, about 6 mm long. It differs from the closely related species, Allium oshaninum, by having larger tepals and filaments fused at the base into a ring.
Biological features. Blooms in June. Fruits in July. Reproduces by seeds. Seed germination is very low (1-3%).
Distribution in general and in the country. Western Tien Shan (Uzbekistan, Southern Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan). In Kyrgyzstan - Chatkal Ridge.
Habitat. Crevices of rocks, stony slopes in the mid-mountain zone.
Population. Limited.
Limiting factors. Local population consumes it as food. Deterioration of growing conditions due to economic development of the area.
Cultivation. A few plants have been grown from bulbs in the botanical garden of the National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic. They grow and develop normally.
Existing conservation measures. Listed in the Red Books of the USSR (1975), Kazakh SSR (1981), Uzbek SSR (1984), Kyrgyz SSR (1985).
Recommended conservation measures. No special conservation measures have been developed. Prohibit the collection of bulbs and introduce it into cultivation.
Pskem piyazy
Pskem Onion
Allium pskemense B. Fedtsch.
Status: EN. It is a rare species endemic to the West Tien Shan, distributed in the Chatkal, Kurama, Pskem, Ugam, Talas, and Kumbel Mountain Ranges of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. It inhabits stony slopes and rocky clefts in the mid-mountain zones. The population in nature is limited. It flowers in June, fruits in July, and reproduces generatively (by seeds), with a germination capacity of only 1-3%. Limiting factors include use by local people as a food plant and habitat destruction. The species has been introduced into cultivation in the Bishkek Botanical Garden. It is listed in the Red Books of the USSR (1975), Uzbekistan (1984), Kazakhstan (1981), and Kyrgyzstan (1985), but special preservation methods have not yet been developed, so it is necessary to prohibit bulb collection and introduce it into cultivation for the conservation of this onion species.