Tulipa brachystemon Regel

Kubentayev, Serik A., Baasanmunkh, Shukherdorj, Alibekov, Daniyar T., Tojibaev, Komiljon Sh., Nyamgerel, Nudkhuu, Ivashchenko, Anna A., Tsegmed, Zagarjav, Epiktetov, Vladimir G., Sitpayeva, Gulnara T., Izbastina, Klara S., Idrissova, Zhansaya T., Mukhtubayeva, Saule K., Abubakirova, Nurganym B., Gil, Hee-Young & Choi, Hyeok Jae, 2024, Revisiting the genus Tulipa (Liliaceae) in Kazakhstan, the country with the richest tulip diversity worldwide, PhytoKeys 250, pp. 95-163 : 95-163

Tulipa brachystemon Regel , Gartenflora 323 (1882).

Fig. 14

Type.

• Illustration t. 1099, f. 2 in Gartenflora 31 (1882) [lectotype designated by Christenhusz et al. 2013: 325].

General distribution.

Endemic to Kazakhstan ( Kubentayev et al. 2024).

Distribution in Kazakhstan and habitat.

Dzungarian Alatau. It grows on stony, rubbly slopes of the lower and middle belt of mountains in Dzungarian Alatau (up to 1700 m a. s. l.).

Conservation status.

Tulipa brachystemon is a least concern species at the global level ( IUCN 2024). It is included in the red book of Kazakhstan (Category II).

Phenology.

Flowering in April – May; fruiting in May – June.

Notes.

Tulipa brachystemon was described by E. L. Regel in 1882, without the precise location of the type specimens. The LE herbarium contains collections of A. E. Regel from Schengeldy ( Ivashchenko and Belyalov 2019). Tulipa brachystemon is listed as a synonym of T. tetraphylla in POWO (2024) and according to Christenhusz et al. (2013) and Everett et al. (2013). However, Zonneveld (2009) distinguished T. brachystemon as an independent taxon based on DNA barcoding. In addition, T. brachystemon and T. tetraphylla clustered in different clades based on our phylogenetic tree (Fig. 3 ). Thus, we consider it necessary to conduct further morphology and phylogeny studies to resolve the taxonomies of these two species.

Figures

Figure 3. Phylogenetic tree of the Tulipa species based on the ITS sequence using the maximum parsimony method. Each subgenus is indicated as follows: Orithyia in yellow, Eriostemones in blue, and Tulipa in green. The endemic Tulipa species are indicated by E in red color.

Figure 14. Tulipa brachystemon in Kazakhstan A general habits B flowers. (Photos: A, B by V. Epiktetov)