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Tulip Schrenk is a rare perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the Liliaceae family, genus Tulip. Recognized as an endangered species and listed in the Red Book of the Federation in 1988. It got its name in honor of the traveler and scientist Shrenk A.I. It was first discovered in the vicinity of the city of Ishim. The botanist Yu. L. Regel described the plant in 1893. Another name is Gesner’s tulip
Description of Schrenk tulips
This is a bulbous plant that grows up to 15-40 cm in height. The bulb is oval, small: up to 3 cm in diameter. Dark, hard leathery scales can be seen on its surface.
Stem-peduncle green, reddish above, leafless. At its base – 3-4 oblong or lanceolate dark green leaves with corrugated edges. All of them without cuttings, sessile, slightly twisted around the stem.
Perianth consists of six rounded leaves of small size
Flower type – cup-shaped lily. The bud is large – reaches 5 cm in diameter and about 8 cm in length. The petals are bright, pointed. In the center of the flower are thread-like dark purple or yellow anthers and stamens that look like a bunch. There may be a yellow spot inside the bud.
Even within the same population, buds vary in color from pure white to purple, and can also be red and yellow. At the base, the petals are yellowish or dark brown, but sometimes this so-called bottom spot is absent.
The plant belongs to the ephemeroids. This means that it has a short growing season. The time of active flowering begins at the end of April and lasts approximately 2 weeks. The fruit ripens in about a month. It is a trihedral ellipsoidal or round box with seeds. There are about 240-250 of them.
Where does the Schrenk tulip grow?
The plant is found in low-lying areas, on plains, foothills at an altitude of up to 600 m above sea level. Prefers calcareous and chalky soils with a high content of calcium and salts. It lives in the zone of semi-deserts and steppes, mainly sagebrush-grass.
Distribution area – Iran, China, northern and western parts of Kazakhstan, northern Central Asia, Ukraine. In Our Country, it grows in the southern and southeastern regions: Voronezh, Saratov, Volgograd, Astrakhan, Rostov regions, in the south of Samara and Orenburg, in Kalmykia, Krasnodar and Stavropol regions, the North Caucasus.
The plant prefers places with a sharply continental climate – hot summers and cold winters. It is in such conditions that its normal development and flowering is ensured.
Why is Schrenk’s tulip listed in the Red Book
The tulip is listed in the Red Book not only in Our Country, but also in Ukraine and Kazakhstan. It is subject to state protection, since it is on the verge of extinction: its distribution area is decreasing, the conditions of natural selection are being violated. This is due to human activities: uncontrolled grazing, plowing of virgin lands, soil pollution with emissions from industrial enterprises, as well as picking bouquets during the flowering period.
In our country, the Schrenk tulip grows mainly in nature reserves, which facilitates its conservation.
Is it possible to grow a Schrenk (Gesner) tulip
Growing a tulip outside its natural environment is very problematic.
They try to cultivate the plant in botanical gardens, but breeding attempts most often end in failure.
Experts identify several reasons why it makes no sense to grow a tulip in the garden:
- It can only be propagated by seeds.
- In the first years of life, it grows extremely slowly.
- A newly planted tulip will bloom for the first time in about 6 years (the timing will depend on soil moisture), but it is possible that this will never happen.
- After the bulb dies off at the end of the season, only one baby is formed, which, if it blooms, will be in 6 years.
- It is not recommended to grow it as a houseplant: at home it is impossible to ensure its proper development.
- He needs soil with a high salt content. On the soil of gardens, which is much softer than the steppe, the plant loses its characteristic features and becomes more like ordinary tulips.
After seed germination, the Gesner tulip goes through a very long path of formation:
- First year. Bulb is formed. It is buried in the ground to a depth of 3 cm. The aerial part during this period consists of one cotyledon leaf, which will be replaced by normal ones only in the second year.
- From the second year. The bulb gradually deepens, a petiole leaf appears.
- Upon reaching the breeding age, the tulip sprouts 3 normal leaves, and then a peduncle appears. Flowering depends on moisture: during a drought, single specimens will bloom, with sufficient moisture, the steppe is covered with a beautiful carpet of tulips. The seed box appears 2 weeks after the start of flowering. The fruiting period is 32 days. The box ripens, gradually dries up, then opens. Seeds that break out are dispelled by the wind over long distances.
- End of the growing season. During this period, drying begins and later the death of the mother bulb. Instead, a new one begins to form, and this process goes into a dormant period.
Photo of Schrenka’s tulip
Tulip Schrenk is considered one of the most beautiful steppe plants.
At the same time, red, yellow, white, pale pink, lilac, colorful tulips appear
Under favorable conditions, during the flowering period, the steppe looks like a real carpet, consisting of specimens of different shades.
Shades can be all kinds – from white to bright red
Some specimens can combine several shades at once.
Conclusion
Schrenk’s tulip is an endangered steppe flower, one of the oldest species of this plant. It is believed that he became the progenitor of many varieties bred by breeders.
