Lehman's Tulip

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Lehman's tulip Is a flowering herbaceous perennial plant belonging to the genus Tulip from the Liliaceae family. In Latin, its name will sound like this:

Tulipa lehmanniana, named after the candidate of philosophical sciences, botanist, naturalist and traveler Alexander Adolfovich Lehman. For the first time, this plant species was discovered in Uzbekistan in the vicinity of the city of Bukhara in 1854, and described by the botanist - physiologist Karl Evgenievich von Merklin.

Area

In nature, the species of tulip in question grows on rocky and mountainous terrain, as well as in the desert regions of the republics of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and on the territory of the Russian Federation. It is listed in the Red Book as an endangered species.

Characteristics of culture

Lehman's tulip is a herbaceous bulbous plant about 60 centimeters tall. Strong pubescent peduncle is surrounded by paired, wavy, curved, dark green leaves. The lower leaves are larger, longer, about 20 centimeters high and 3 centimeters wide, they have an oblong, narrowed upward shape. The upper leaves are much smaller, about 10 centimeters in height and 9 millimeters in width, have a narrow linear shape with a tapered end upward.

At the end of the peduncle, a large goblet inflorescence flaunts, about 10 centimeters in height with petals curved outward. Petals, painted in red, yellow or variegated shades with a black base, surround a bunch of dark purple stamens and anthers.

The fruit is a tricuspid elongated box with seeds; an adult, mature plant has about 250 seeds. A small bulb, about 3 centimeters in diameter, completely covered with leathery small scales of dark brown or black color. The peak of active and colorful flowering occurs in early April, and lasts approximately 1, 5 - 2 months. Seeds can be harvested from mid-May to late June.

Reproduction and care

In the wild, the presented flower culture is propagated by seeds. In gardening, the most common vegetative method, that is, by dividing the mother bulb into children, and the seed method is used mainly by breeders to obtain new varieties of tulips. The adult bulb has about 5 storing scales, in the axils of which the embryos of the baby bulbs are formed.

When the mother's bulb is fully ripe, during the growing season, the scales die off and the baby bulbs can be reached. On average, an adult bulb forms one large and several small baby bulbs. It is best to extract the children in the fall, in order to immediately plant them in open ground, and before the onset of winter frosts, the plant managed to adapt.

After the children are removed, they must be planted in a sunny, open place protected from drafts in a fertile soil fed with mineral fertilizers.

When preparing the soil and choosing a site, you need to pay special attention to two factors. The first is the acidity of the soil, since tulips do not tolerate high acidity, and only a neutral pH is suitable for them. The second one is the predecessors of tulips in the chosen place, if bulbous plants grew in this soil earlier, then the pest and bacteria left over from the previous "tenants" can spread to the tulip bulbs.

Once the site is selected and the soil is prepared, the bulbs can be planted. It is advisable to observe the order and plant the tubers in even rows so that the distance between potential peduncles is at least 10 centimeters. After planting, the bulbs need to be watered and prepared for the winter period.

If in winter the temperature in the region drops below 15 degrees Celsius, then the bulbs must be covered with a peat mulch layer and covered with foliage on top. With the onset of spring, as the temperature of the soil rises, seedlings appear above the surface of the earth, and the development of leaves begins. At this moment, the species of plants in question must be fed, since the bulb begins to actively absorb nutrients, for this you can use a mineral complex feeding.

It is advisable to feed the bulbs at least three times per season: in early spring, during the flowering period and closer to autumn.

It is advisable to water Lehman's tulip in moderation, early in the morning or late in the evening, so that the soil has time to saturate moisture before a hot sunny day.