Tulipa iliensis Regel

Reports of Tulipa gesneriana Linnaeus and T. schrenkii Regel from China (e.g., in FRPS) are based on misidentified plants of T. iliensis.

Plant 10-25 cm. Leaves 3-4, linear-lanceolate. Flowers solitary or sometimes up to 5, opening almost flat, stellate, 2-4 cm diam., bright yellow, violet-tinged outside. Filaments and anthers yellow. V - early spring to summer. Fl - March-April (in St. Petersburg May). Fr - June. P - by daughter bulbs and by seed. Prefers a sunny place, tolerates partial shade. Does very well in the rock garden. Z 4 (3). New.

Bulb ovoid, 1--2 cm in diam.; tunic blackish brown, thinly leathery, appressed hairy inside basally and distally. Stem 10--20(--30) cm, densely or sparsely pubescent distally, very rarely glabrous. Leaves 3 or 4, spaced or ± crowded, linear or linear-lanceolate, usually not overtopping flower, 0.5--1.5 cm wide. Bracts absent. Flower solitary. Tepals yellow, sometimes turning dark red or pale red when dry, oblong to elliptic-rhomboidal, 2.5--3.5 × 0.4--2 cm; outer ones abaxially tinged with greenish red to greenish purple. Stamens equal; filaments slightly dilated at middle and gradually narrowed at both ends, glabrous. Style very short. Capsule ellipsoid, 1.8--2.2 × 1.2--1.5 cm. Fl. and fr. Mar--May. 2 n = 24.

Bulb ovoid, 1.5--2 cm in diam.; tunic blackish brown, thinly leathery, appressed hairy inside distally. Stem 10--15 cm, glabrous. Leaves 3, ± crowded, spreading and slightly recurved apically, linear or linear-lanceolate, usually overtopping flower, 5--10 mm wide, margin usually crisped. Bracts absent. Flower solitary. Tepals yellow, suboblong, 1.5--2.5 × 0.5--1.5 cm; inner ones sometimes tinged with red. Stamens 1.2--1.7 cm, equal; filaments glabrous, abruptly dilated from middle to apex. Style very short. Fl. May--Jun.

Central Asia (Tien Shan, Dzungaria) and northern China. Among shrubs on grassy slopes, in rocky places.

Xinjiang [Kazakhstan].

NW Xinjiang [Kazakhstan].

Grassy or gravelly slopes, semideserts; 400--1400 m.

Steppes; 1000--1800 m.