Tulipa 2013

[ian mcenery]

Some lovely plants showing here and many well ahead of mine. Here is a little one that I like T bithnica a little bit from the Wallis list some years ago

[Janis Ruksans]

Some tulips blooming in my greenhose now:
Tulipa albertii from Kazahstan, near Alma-Ata
Tulipa bifloriformis from Nuratau, Timurlan Gate in Uzbekistan, they grew on large rock and were cllected in strong wind not allowing to picture
This unusual Tulipa fosteriana was collected in Agalik, Uzbekistan and is named after my first wife
Tulipa hewerii comes from Afganistan and is very good grower, strongly resembles T. praestans (by bulb sheets) and something looks as yellow variant of it
This Tulipa humilis was collected in Iran by Arnis Seisums, between those was one pure white, too.

[Janis Ruksans]

Some more tulips:
Tulipa kurdica close relative of humilis, comes from Willem van Eeden
Tulipa lemmersii was described very recently - very beautiful tulip species
Tulipa stapfii I got from Norman Stevens (Cambridge Bulbs)
Tulipa systola comes from N Iraq and was collected there by Henrik Zetterlund
and as last today Tulipa zenaidae from Kirghizstan, collected at Kashka-Su

[Maggi Young]

Your flowers are opening at great speed now, Janis!

The story of Janis'  March trip to Turkey with Ibrahim is now online in the International Rock Gardener-
http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2013Apr261366962255IRG40April.pdf     

[Armin]

Some tulips blooming in my greenhose now:
Tulipa albertii from Kazahstan, near Alma-Ata
Tulipa bifloriformis from Nuratau, Timurlan Gate in Uzbekistan, they grew on large rock and were cllected in strong wind not allowing to picture
This unusual Tulipa fosteriana was collected in Agalik, Uzbekistan and is named after my first wife
Tulipa hewerii comes from Afganistan and is very good grower, strongly resembles T. praestans (by bulb sheets) and something looks as yellow variant of it
This Tulipa humilis was collected in Iran by Arnis Seisums, between those was one pure white, too.

Janis,
phantastic tulips. I'm having difficulties to distinguish T. bifloriformis from T. turkestanica. Can you tell us the key differences?
I also vague remember having read somewhere the dutch commercial clone of T. turkestanica are all T. bifloriformis???

[Janis Ruksans]

Janis,
phantastic tulips. I'm having difficulties to distinguish T. bifloriformis from T. turkestanica. Can you tell us the key differences?
I also vague remember having read somewhere the dutch commercial clone of T. turkestanica are all T. bifloriformis???

Not easy. I can't separate by key prepared by Vvedenskyi "Conspectus Florae Asiae Maediae"
Better is key made by Silina - "Ornamental Perennials for Openg ground in USSR. Monocots".
By Silina (and by key in Flora USSR)
Bulb cover sheets inside hairy throughout - Tulipa bifloriformis
Bulb cover sheets inside hairy at upper half only - T. turkestanica

By Botschantzeva - anthers yellow - turkestanica
                               anthers black - bifloriformis  - but it is not true - both have forms with yellow and with black anthers

[johnralphcarpenter]

Weather turned nasty again here yesterday so not much happening. Tulipa celsiana Hort. just opening (Dutch origin), also Tulipa aucheriana, from Janis. And I'm off the Canada tomorrow for two and a half weeks - no doubt all the remaining tulips will perform while I'm away due to our late season - grrr! And not just the tulips....there's never a good time to be away from the garden!

[Maggi Young]

And I'm off the Canada tomorrow for two and a half weeks - no doubt all the remaining tulips will perform while I'm away due to our late season - grrr! And not just the tulips....there's never a good time to be away from the garden!

Have a good trip, Ralph.
We're thinking the same about being away from our garden for just eleven days while we go to the Czech conference- what will we miss by being away? 

[David Nicholson]

Have agreat trip Ralph, hope you're taking the camera with you?

[ArnoldT]

Tulipa altaica

[Janis Ruksans]

My greenhouse today - blooms tulips and juno irises.
On next three pictures is one of most difficult in cultivation tulip - Tulipa behmiana. It was collected near Alma-Ata where it is growing in desert on sandy soils. Bulbs lie very deep - more than half meter and it was very difficult to reach. Fortunately spring waters washed some soil away and it was possible to reach them digging from side of  some bank. Note pendant buds before blooming, on other two pictures closed and open flower. As I'm growing Tulipa regelii I hope to success with behmiana, too. I have only yellow form, but in nature it is very variable in colour.
On last picture Tulipa albertii - another yellow form from near Alma-Ata, Kazahstan.
More tulip pictures are on my home-page.

[Janis Ruksans]

Some red beauties - Tulipa affinis from Sjaak, then micheliana from Kara-Karga (Uzbekistan) and two aquisitions of Tulipa micheliana from Iran. It seem nthat correct name must be Tulipa undulatifolia var. micheliana. Is it really so? I would not like to agree with this name-change in last Curtis's Botanical Magazine.

[Armin]

Not easy. I can't separate by key prepared by Vvedenskyi "Conspectus Florae Asiae Maediae"
Better is key made by Silina - "Ornamental Perennials for Openg ground in USSR. Monocots".
By Silina (and by key in Flora USSR)
Bulb cover sheets inside hairy throughout - Tulipa bifloriformis
Bulb cover sheets inside hairy at upper half only - T. turkestanica

By Botschantzeva - anthers yellow - turkestanica
                               anthers black - bifloriformis  - but it is not true - both have forms with yellow and with black anthers

Janis,
many thanks, very interesting. This is a new info to me.

May I ask your personal opinion? Do you believe the hairs inside cover sheets is a sufficient key to justify two species looking so similar?
Independent of any further replies - I'll check my two different clones when dormant for the features.

T. (undulatifiolia var.) micheliana is stunning!

[Janis Ruksans]

Janis,
many thanks, very interesting. This is a new info to me.

May I ask your personal opinion? Do you believe the hairs inside cover sheets is a sufficient key to justify two species looking so similar?

I think that it is useful. They are different by DNA, so they are different species. The hairs on tunics is easy checkable feature

[Armin]

Many thanks Janis, now it explains it sufficiently to me.