Places of interest of nature of Kazakhstan.

“The earth laughs in flowers” 

 Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Tulips tours in reserve Aksu-Zhabagly.

Tulipa buhseana Boiss. 15 - 40 cm tall, bulb ovoid, 1 - 1,5 cm thick, with brown, coriaceous, strong, woolly tunics at the apex inside. Stem is glabrate, rarely pubescent at the top; leaves 2 in number, widely straddled, reclinated, deflexed, glabrous, more or less ciliated, linear, the lower is wider, 3 - 8 mm broad, usually much shorter than flowers.
Flowers 1 - 4 in number (sometimes up to 6), perianth lobes are white, yellow at the base, 15 - 30 mm long, acute, the outer are lanceolate, dingy-violet on the outside, more or less breaded at the base, nearly 2 times shorter than inner, the inner are oblong, gradually narrowed towards the base, with bread and ciliated there.
Stamens are 2 times shorter than perianth. Filaments are yellow, with dense hairy ring at extended base, usually hairy upwards, anthers are linear-oblong, 4 - 6 mm long, yellow or light-violet at the apex, with short mucro.
Ovary is a little shorter than stamens, with short style; fruit case is oblong, rarely globular, about 1 cm wide, 1,5 - 2 cm long, with short tip. Flowering time in April - May.
Distribution in Kazakhstan: It grows in deserts on sandy and clay soil. It occurs in Turgai, Prearal, Kzyl-Orda, Balkhash-Alakul, Kyzyl-Kum and Turkestan floristic regions, in Chu-Ili Mountains.
Note: According to some experts, tall populations of this species are independent taxonomic unit - Taliev's Tulip (Tulipa talievii Klikov et Zoz.). They differ in heavier pubescence of the bulbs, leaves, which are considerably exceeding a flower, and pubescent stem and non-incurved tips of petals.
This form occurs around a canyon of the Ili River, to the north of Kapchagai water-basin to Arharly Pass. However, recent studies based on evaluation of morphology and DNA relative weight, demonstrated that Taliev's Tulip could not be distinguished as independent species.

Authority
“Tulips of Kazakhstan”. Almaty, LTD “Almatykitap baspasy”. 2010, 272 p. Illustrated.

Photos
Alexander Petrov.