All the modern species diversity of tulips is the result of the work of breeders who, over the years, created new unique colors and shapes from several original species. One of the founders of all varieties is Schrenk's tulip.
Legend of the tulip
True or not, but once upon a time people thought that happiness was concentrated in the very center of a beautiful yellow tulip. Only trouble was that the bud could not be opened. And then once an amazing flower fell into the hands of a little boy, a tulip opened, revealing beauty to the world. Only a person with a pure heart and soul, like a baby, can find happiness.
In whose honor is the tulip named?
His personal name he owes to the scientist and traveler Alexander Ivanovich Schrenk. Or, as some sources call it, to Alexander Gustav von Schrenk. He was of Russian origin (was originally from the Tula province), and yet he is very often perceived as a German scientist. While traveling, he collected a lot of materials on zoology, botany and mineralogy. Including in 1873 he discovered a new plant - a fragile and bright tulip, which later received his name. In the future, he worked for many years as a teacher at the University of Drept (now Tartu, Estonia).
Tulip Shrenka: description
Wild varieties of tulips are medium in size. But Schrenk's tulip boasts distinctive large features. It has a very miniature ovoid bulb, 1.5-2 cm in diameter. But the plant itself grows to 30-40 centimeters in height. It has lanceolate green leaves with a blue tint, slightly wavy, usually 3 or 4, the lower one is always larger than the rest.
The flower has a rather variable shape, most often a cup-shaped bottom and six petals, pointed at the end, like lilies. Unlike artificially bred varieties, it has a light and pleasant aroma. The size of the flower is 7 centimeters in height. Color can be different: red, orange, yellow, snow-white and even almost purple, variegated forms are also found. Tulip Schrenka refers to mid-flowering tulips, blooms from late April and throughout May. Propagated in nature by seeds that ripen in sufficient quantities in June.
Places of growth
In Russia, this type of wild tulip grows in the steppes, semi-deserts and deserts of the European part of the country, as well as in Central Asia and Western Siberia. This plant is calcephilus, literally translated - loving lime. Flowers grow on soils rich in various calcium compounds. Sparse vegetation in summer and spring, the steppes are covered with a real bright carpet, akin to the Persian one, full of bright colors and delicate aromas.
Outside of our country, Schrenka tulip is common in the southeastern part of Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Northern Iran, Central Asia and China.
Schrenk tulips in the Orenburg region
To meet Schrenk's tulip in the Orenburg region is a common thing. Combining the parts of the European Plain, the south of the Urals and Trans-Urals, the vast territory is rich in steppes, where this species grows. Tulip Schrenka is a flowering symbol of the Orenburg region. It is impossible to compare the spring thick aroma that fills the steppe air when whole hectares are blooming. The Red Book of the area also puts it under protection. But they love and appreciate the tulip not only there.
In the Volgograd region in 2009, a natural monument of regional importance was established - Kurnaevsky tulip meadow. It is located on a very vast area of 418 hectares. Its special value is due to the fact that there are rare and rare plants, including Schrenk tulip. The regional authorities limit as much as possible the anthropogenic influence of the environment on this territory in order to preserve the biosystem in its original form.
Bieberstein Tulips
This is another type of wild-growing tulip, which was discovered by the German botanist Friedrich Bieberstein and named after him. According to the shape of the flower and other external phenotypic characters, they are very similar to the Schrenk variety. But there are two significant differences. Firstly, Bieberstein's tulips are always bright yellow and no other, while their closest relatives are full of colors, like a kaleidoscope. In addition, the flowers are slightly smaller, on average, up to 3 centimeters long. Secondly, they reproduce well not only by seeds, but also by daughter bulbs, which allows them to quickly reproduce the number. In Russia, they can be found in the Volga region, the Caucasus, Kalmykia, and Western Siberia. But in the Rostov region they are listed in the regional Red Book.
