Dwarf Ammopiptanth
Status: EN. A rare species with a disjunctive range. One of two known representatives of the relict genus, the only representative of the genus in Kyrgyzstan.
Description. An evergreen shrub up to 1.5 m tall. Branches are relatively thick, twisted with yellowish bark, young ones are grayish-pubescent. Leaves are broadly elliptical, silvery-pubescent on short petioles. Flowers are yellow, gathered at the ends of branches in dense clusters. Pods are elongated, almost glabrous or rarely hairy, seams are finely pubescent.
Biological features. Flowers in June-July, fruits in July-August. Propagates by seeds and vegetatively.
Distribution general and in the country. Known from Kashgaria (China) and Kyrgyzstan (Kavak-Too and Dzhumgal-Too mountain ranges in the Kokomeren River basin).
Habitat. On the slopes of particolored bedrocks.
Population. Grows solitary. According to the 1979 count, there were 15,000 individuals.
Limiting factors. Its ornamental and medicinal properties attract collectors, it is partially washed away by debris flows, and economic activities also reduce its numbers.
Cultivation. Has been repeatedly tested in culture at the Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic; when sown in autumn, seedlings appeared in April but grew poorly. Plants go into winter not lignified and die by spring. They do not tolerate soil overgrowth.
Existing conservation measures. Included in the Red Books of the USSR (1975) and the Kyrgyz SSR (1985).
Recommended conservation measures. Organize a nature reserve on the Min-Kush River to protect it in conjunction with other rare and endemic species.
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Dwarf Ammopiptanth
Ammopiptanthus nanus (D. Don) Cheng
Status: EN. This ornamental evergreen shrub is a rare species with a disjunctive area and is the only representative of the genus in Kyrgyzstan. It has value as a medicinal plant and is an important element of the genetic fund. It is known from Kashgaria (China) and the area limited by the Kokomeren River basin (Kavak-Too and Dzhumgal Mountain Ranges). Plants occur on slopes with sod-less soil on particolored bedrocks, in the mid-montane zone. Period of flowering: June - July, fruiting in July - August; propagation is both generative and vegetative. Cultivation is problematic: in Bishkek Botanical Garden, all seedlings were lost the following winter. The number was about 15,000 individuals in 1979; present data are not quantitative. Limiting factors: anthropogenic influence (including collection) and erosion of slopes. This plant is included in the Red Books of the USSR and Kyrgyzstan and is protected in the Min-Kush botanical wildlife area. It is recommended to expand the territory covered by preservation measures.