TULIPS AND IRISES

Above and left, Iris bucharica

Iris rosenbachiana in Tajikistan’s remote Rommet valley

There are parts of the world that few of us will ever visit, either because of their remoteness, lack of facilities for tourists or their difficult terrain. Those of us who love seeing plants in their natural habitats are fortunate that there are tour companies, including AGS Expeditions, which will overcome these difficulties by organising trips to such areas.

Two years ago, in April 2012, I was one of five people who joined a Greentours expedition to Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. It was the first time that Greentours had arranged a trip in this area, but the leader, Chris Gardner, had carried out a reconnaissance the year before. Our adventure started from Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan.

At this time of the year most of the plants in flower are ‘bulbous’, with significant representations of tulips and juno irises. We journeyed to the

Peter Sheasby journeys to Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in Central Asia, where spring bulbs provide spectacular displays – if you get there before the flower pickers

Gymnospermium albertii, a member of the Berberidaceae

Karatag valley, where the hillsides were dotted with Iris bucharica, the first of the junos we would encounter. Fritillaria bucharica, Bongardia chrysogonum, an unusual member of the Berberidaceae, and magnificent specimens of Corydalis popovii added to the interest.

The next day was spent in the remote Rommet valley, where Iris vicaria and Iris rosenbachiana were the star attractions, but other bulbous species such as Bellevalia atroviolacea, Colchicum kesselringii and Crocus korolkowii were seen for the first time.

Gymnospermium albertii, another member of the Berberidaceae, was common, as well as pale blue forms of Scilla (= Fessia) puschkinioides and the variable Corydalis ledebouriana.

We had lunch in the headman’s

The gleaming Crocus korolkowii and, below, Corydalis popovii

An abundance of Crocus korolkowii in the Anzob valley

house in a tiny Tajik village high in this remote valley, and our meal turned out to be a feast. A spread of local nuts, dried apricots, sweets, fruits and nutty shortbread was laid out, followed by meat and rice, local bread and green tea. After such a lunch we struggled to photograph a fine colony of Iris rosenbachiana on a very steep and slippery hillside!

The next day we visited the Anzob valley to the north of Dushanbe. Again Iris vicaria and Iris bucharica were present, together with the occasional hybrid, but the highlight in this valley was Fritillaria eduardii. This is similar to F. imperialis but is leafier, has fewer flowers and is widespread in the valley. Unfortunately it is picked by children to be sold at the roadside in large bunches. This means that the most accessible areas are cleared as soon as the plants flower, but a local guide was hired to take us up a side valley where the Fritillaria was also known to grow.

As we climbed, two boys came down with great bunches of the flowers in their arms. We found that they had stripped the valley of all the accessible flowers, leaving just one rather poor specimen on a steep cliff.

Anemone bucharica photographed in the Nurek area of Tajikistan

The same fate is met by the local tulip, Tulipa praestans, so both are difficult to find in situ. It is a great shame because most bunches collected will not be sold and will just be thrown away – a common problem with showy plants in these areas. High up in the pass, which was almost blocked by snow, the few snowmelt areas supported large patches of golden Crocus korolkowii.

An unusual law in Dushanbe is that vehicles are not allowed to be muddy or dirty. The penalty is an on-the-spot fine by the local police. As there is a policeman at every intersection and each will stop and fine a driver, it can be an expensive business. Thankfully there are car-wash stations on every road into the city – our journey on rough mountain roads certainly required their services.

Our final day in Tajikistan was used to visit the Nurek area, which boasts an important new reservoir. This excursion yielded two beautiful anemones, red Anemone bucharica and pink Anemone tschernjaewii, with more Bellevalia atroviolacea and Iris bucharica. Near the reservoir, the hills were dotted with bushes of Cercis siliquastrum in a very deep pink form.

The beautiful and delicate Anemone tschernjaewii

The new reservoir in the Nurek area

On then to Uzbekistan. Moving across the border is complicated because it involves passing through eight separate checkpoints for passport, immigration and customs control. These are spread along a half-mile stretch of road so, as vehicles are not allowed to cross the border, our luggage had to be carried through all these checks. Fortunately it was a fine day. A guide with a replacement vehicle was waiting for us on the other side.

On the route to our first base in Uzbekistan, the town of Shakhrisabz, we saw a very fine form of Tulipa micheliana and the more widespread Tulipa montana in its red form. On just one hillside was an amazing pinkflowered Eremurus, which I understand has not been identified yet and may be a new taxon. It was about 60cm tall, had flowers all the way down the stem and grew on very dry slopes.

From Shakhrisabz our plan was to travel to Samarkand, expecting to cross over the magnificent Amankutan Pass. When we reached the entrance to the pass, however, we were told by police that it was closed because of a landslide on the far side.

Failure to go up the pass would have meant missing some very important plants, so a great deal of negotiation took place between our guide and the police.

Eventually this led to the agreement

The scarlet Tulipa fosteriana and, left, a pink-flowered Eremurus, as yet not ascribed to any of the known species

Iris warleyensis and, right, Iris magnifica

that we could go up the pass for one hour only. This barely gave us time to reach the top, but four hours later we came back down and crept past the police, hoping not to be recognised!

In this time we had enjoyed a brief picnic lunch and seen lovely specimens of Iris magnifica and Iris warleyensis, together with Tulipa fosteriana, Tulipa turkestanica and Tulipa biflora. At the top of the pass Primula fedtschenkoi, Corydalis maracandica and Anemone petiolulosa were all in good flower. The white, purple-veined Colchicum kesselringii was again present near melting snow.

It is interesting to note that where we found Crocus korolkowii, any Colchicum growing in the area was always C. kesselringii. In contrast, where we found Crocus alatavicus, the only Colchicum nearby was C. luteum. This seems to be replicated on the other side of the Tien Shan mountains in the Djabagly area, where again Crocus alatavicus is found with Colchicum luteum.

We took the long diversion to Samarkand, a city on the ancient silk

Colchicum luteum and, right, a blue-tiled madrasah (Islamic school) in the Registan area of Samarkand

Tulipa biflora in a high valley in Uzbekistan

route and famous for its blue-tiled mosques, which are indeed magnificent. Most are no longer used as mosques but are preserved and maintained as national monuments and we spent a whole day visiting them.

Our final stay was at the resort of Beldersay in the Tien Shan mountains near Tashkent. This area hosts another juno iris, Iris tubergeniana, together with Fritillaria stenanthera, Fritillaria sewerzowii, Gymnospermium albertii, Eranthis longistipitatus, Scilla (= Fessia) puschkinioides, the occasional Tulipa kaufmanniana and Crocus alatavicus. This grew in snowmelt areas with the yellow-flowered Colchicum luteum. Eremurus robustus was present in great numbers but was not yet in flower.

On the final day a local mountain guide took us high into the Tschimgan valley area. The main valley was blocked by snow, but a parallel valley was more accessible.

Here, high in the valley, we started to find tulips – Tulipa biflora first and then a colony of Tulipa dubia growing in crystalline granite scree.

In an area nearby, along a high ridge, we found Tulipa x tschimganica growing

Tulipa dubia thriving on a crystaliine granite scree. Below, Tulipa montana and Primula fedtschenkoi

Yellow and red forms of Tulipa x tschimganica

in limestone scree in red, yellow and orange forms. Fortunately the sun was shining and the tulips were open wide.

On the way back to the hotel, near a local reservoir, we found Eremurus lactiflorus in full flower together with a few bright red Tulipa greigii.

This was a most productive trip in what is a fascinating area.

 For a full list of Greentours’ holidays, visit www.greentours.co.uk or see the company’s adverts in this issue of The Alpine Gardener. Greentours also runs holidays specifically for AGS members. Details are in the copy of AGS News that accompanies this journal.