Korzhinski’s Pear
Status: VU. One of three species growing in the territory of the Kyrgyz Republic. The taxon is little known. A narrow-local endemic of the Western Tien Shan. A valuable genetic resource for the selection of drought-resistant high-yield southern pear varieties.
Description. A tree with a rounded or elongated crown up to 10 - 12 m in height. The shoots are dark brown, young, hairy in the first half of the growing season, then almost bare or bare. The leaves are lanceolate, elongated-lanceolate, or tongue-shaped, 5-10 cm long, with the greatest width at the bottom, serrated along the edge. The flowers are 2-2.5 cm in diameter, white, with elongated oval petals and a short claw. The fruits are broadly pear-shaped, greenish-yellow, juicy, with a slightly astringent taste.
Biological features. Belongs to the group of East Asian pears or their hybrids, characterized by a short dormancy period, weak winter hardiness, high resistance to fungal diseases, and drought resistance. It reproduces by seeds and root suckers. Leaves unfold in the second and third decades of April. In natural conditions, it blooms in May and bears fruit in late August - September. Leaf fall begins at the end of September and does not end until winter arrives.
Distribution general and in the country. Western Tien Shan, Pamir-Alai (Tajikistan, Uzbekistan). In Kyrgyzstan - Chatkal and Fergana Ranges.
Habitat. Dry gravelly, gravelly-stony, and fine-soil slopes, along the banks of streams, in the lower and middle mountain belts at altitudes of 1200-1700 m above sea level.
Population. Insignificant. Found singly.
Limiting factors. Cutting of fruit-bearing trees. Lack of seed regeneration.
Cultivation. In the dendrological reserve of the Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic, it is grown from seeds collected near the village of Charvak, in the Fergana Range in 1954. Mature specimens survive winter satisfactorily.
Existing conservation measures. Protected in the territory of the republic since 1975 in accordance with the resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Kyrgyz SSR. Included in the Red Book of the Kyrgyz SSR (1985).
Recommended conservation measures. Establish strict control over the population and condition of the species. Protect all specimens.
Korzhinski’s Almurutu
Korzhinski’s Pear
Pyrus korshinskyi Litv
Status: VU. It is a narrow-spread little-known species endemic to West Tien Shan and Northern Alai-Pamirs, one of three Kyrgyz congeners. Single individuals occur in the Chatkal and Fergana Mountain Ranges at dry metal, silty-soil, and stony slopes, in the bottoms of dry gorges in low- and mid-montane belts, at 1,200-1,700 m above sea level. It is a valuable species for genetic resources and for the selection of drought-resistant pear cultivars. Period of flowering: May, fruiting is in August - September, reproduction is by seeds and root-layers. The population in nature is insignificant. Limiting factors: felling of trees, absence of generative reproduction. P. korshinskyi is cultivated in Bishkek Botanical Garden and is included in the list of endangered and protected species since 1975 by a special Government Decree of the Kyrgyz SSR. It is necessary to estimate the number and area, to organize monitoring for the population and habitats, and to protect all trees found.