Niedzvetzki’s Apple-tree
Status: VU. Very rare, endemic, endangered species with a small population. A valuable species for breeding.
Description. In nature, trees reach heights of 4 - 7 m. The bark of perennial branches is reddish-brown, while that of annual branches is dark purple. Leaves are thick, dark green, 7 - 10 cm long with a reddish tint. Flowers are bright purple, 3 - 5 cm in diameter. Fruits are small, spherical, purple-red with pink-purple flesh. Seeds are dark brown with a raspberry tint. In plants from the Chatkal Ridge, the skin of the fruits is partially corky.
Biological features. It reproduces by seeds and root suckers. Leaves unfold in the third decade of March. It blooms in late April - early May, fruits in August - September. Vegetation ends in the first decade of October. It is quite winter-hardy.
Distribution general and in the country. Western Tien Shan (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan), Western China (Xinjiang). Described from Mashat Mountain (Syrdar Karatau Range). In Kyrgyzstan, it is found in the Chatkal, Uzun-Akhmat, and Fergana (southeastern part) mountain ranges.
Habitat. In the belt of nut-bearing forests along the bottoms of gorges and in the lower parts of slopes. Population. Found singly.
Limiting factors. Increased economic activity. Plants poorly tolerate soil compaction due to grazing. Fruits are eaten by animals, halting seed regeneration. When growing alongside the Kyrgyz and Sievers’ apple trees, its flowers are cross-pollinated, reducing the number of seed plants.
Cultivation. Widely cultivated in Kazakhstan under the name "Kuldzhinka." Wild plants are cultivated in botanical gardens in Tashkent, Almaty, Dushanbe, and Moscow. In the botanical garden of the National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic, it reached a height of 7 m at the age of 22 years.
Existing conservation measures. Included in the Red Data Book of the Kyrgyz SSR (1985).
Recommended conservation measures. Plants growing in the gorges of the Aflatun and Kara-Suu rivers, in the Ak-Terek-Gava locality, and in the gorge of the Kara-Alma river should be accounted for. Organize a nursery for growing genetic planting material from seeds collected in wild populations of the species.
Kyzyl zhalbyraktuu alma
Niedzvetzki’s Apple-tree
Malus niedzwetzkyana Dieck
Status: VU. This relic species is endemic to Tien Shan, one of three Kyrgyz congeners. It was described from Mashat Mountain (Syrdar Karatau Mountain Range) and is known in Western Tien Shan and Xinjiang; in Kyrgyzstan, it is spread in the Chatkal, Uzun-Akhmat Mountain Ranges, and in the southeastern part of the Fergana Mountain Range. Single individuals sparsely occur in the walnut and fruit forest zone. Period of flowering: end of April - beginning of May, fruiting in August - September; reproduction is both generative (by seeds) and vegetative (by root layers). It is a valuable species for genetic fund and for the selection and breeding of apple cultivars; the species is widely spread in culture. Limiting factors: economic activity in habitats (plants are weakly resistant to soil compression caused by pasturage), absence of generative reproduction caused by the fruits being eaten by animals, degeneration due to cross-pollination when the species sprouts amongst Sievers’ apple trees. The species is included in the Red Data Book of the Republic since 1985. Trees in Aflatun, Kara-Suu, and Kara-Alma Ravines and in Ak-Terek-Gava localities should be especially protected. The organization of a special arboretum is needed for plants received from natural seeds that are pure in genetics.