Tulipa orithyioides Vved.

Tojibaev, Komiljon, Dekhkonov, Davron, Ergashov, Ibrokhimjon, Sun, Hang, Deng, Tao & Yusupov, Ziyoviddin, 2022, The synopsis of the genus Tulipa (Liliaceae) in Uzbekistan, Phytotaxa 573 (2), pp. 163-214 : 208-209

5.8. Tulipa orithyioides Vved. in Byull. Sredne-Aziatsk. Gosud. Univ. 21. 150 (1935).

Type:— UZBEKISTAN. Tschulbair , 30 June 1929, Vvedensky 423 (holotype TASH000514 !) .

Description:—Bulb ovoid, (1.0)1.5–2.0 cm thick; tunic almost papery, brownish-gray, with arachnoid hairs which protrude at the apex; stem 7–10 cm long, glabrous; leaves 2(3), approximate to subopposite, spreading, curled, glabrous, smooth, significantly exceeding the flower; lower leaf linear-lanceolate, broader, 1.0– 1.5 cm broad; flower solitary, star-shaped; perigone segments white, yellow at base, 18–24 mm long, acute; outer segments dingy violet outside, lanceolate, glabrous; inner segments gradually narrowed into a claw, oblanceolate, ciliate at base, slightly shorter; stamens half the length of perigone; filaments yellow, hairy at the base, long-ciliate below; anthers greyish-yellow, linear-oblong, 5–6 mm long, with a very short cusp; ovary as long as stamens, with a very long style; capsule oblong, ca. 1.5 cm broad, 2–3 cm long, long-beaked.

General distribution:—Hissar Range ( Tajikistan, Uzbekistan).

Distribution in Uzbekistan:—I-6 Western Hissar district (II-6-c Baysun region), I-7 Hissar-Darvaz district (I-7-a Sangardak-Tupalang region).

Phenology:—Flowering: June; fruiting: July.

Ecology:—Gravelly and stony slopes, in middle and upper mountain zone, 1800–3000 m a.s.l.

Etymology:—Species epithet “ orithyioides ” means “similar to Orithyia ”. Wilford (2006) noted that the name of this species, described by Vvedensky in 1935, is connected with its very long style which is one of the features of the section Orithyia .

Note:— Vvedensky (1935) placed T. orithyioides in T. sect. Eriostemones. The species is similar to T. turkestanica but differs from its dwarf habitat and crisp leaves ( Everett et al. 2013). Wilford’s (2006) and Everett`s (2013) indications of the growing of this species in the Zarafshan ridge is not true.

Specimens examined:— UZBEKISTAN: Surkhandarya , Hissar Range , River basin Obi-zarang , on the way from the village Samarkand to the upper reaches of the river Obi-zarang, 21 May 1948, S.Kh. Chevrenidi 678 ( TASH!) ; Baysun , Khodzha-Gurgurata mountains, Chakmoksay, 25 June 2012, O. Turginov s.n. ( TASH!) ; About 35 km to the northwest from the city of Denau , 5-10 km upstream of Sina , Eastern macroslope of the Chulbair Mountains , The upper reaches of the river Obidara, 18 June 1979, I.I. Rusanovich s.n. ( MW) ; Surkhandarya region Denauvsky district , Chulbair mountains above the Sina resort, subalpine belt, 25 May1961, M.I. Vlasov s.n. ( TASH!) ; Hissar Range , Chulbair , watershed between the rivers, Sina and Malyangur, in juniper forests among thickets of Ungernia victoris , 27 May 1960, Korotkova 8139 ( TASH!) .

The species of the section in the study area are widespread across different habitats (mainly in plains – T. sogdiana , T. buhseana and T. biflora ; in middle mountains – T. bifloriformis , T. turkestanica ; in alpines – T. dasystemon , T. dasystemonoides , T. orithyioides ) ( Fig. 13 ). The decreasing of the populations can be observed with T. sogdiana due to irregular pasture in Kyzyl-Kum deserts. Appearance of new locations of T. buhseana in the west of the area (Karakalpakstan) is explained by the geobotanical investigations by the scientists of the Institute of Botany (https:// botany.uz/en/geobotanika_laboratoriyasi/).

Figures

FIGURE 13. Distribution of the species of Tulipa sect. Biflores before (A) and after (B) the year 1970.