| ORNAMENTAL PLANTS IN THEIR NATURAL HABITATS
		E. Uzbekistan
		The natural landscape of Uzbekistan varies greatly, from the hot
		sand and gypsum deserts of the Kyzylkum, to the permanent glaciers
		of the Pamiro Alay.  From the capital of  Tashkent, the Kuraminskiy
		and Chatkalskiy ranges, both of the Tien Shan system, can be reached
		within one day’ journey.  The road first runs along the Chirchik river
		valley, where cotton, maize, rice, melons and other crops are grown.
		Plants along the spurs of Chatkalskiy Range that flower in April include
		a diminutive iris, Iridodictyum kolpakowskianum [=Iris
		kolpakowskiana], the brown-flowered
		
		Korolkowia severzowii as well as the tuberous yellow-flowered
		Gymnospermium alberti [=Leontice alberti] as well as the brownish blooms
		Eminium lehmannii. Several tulips such as Tulipa bifloriformis, T.
		greigii, T. kaufmanniana, T. tschimganica and
		
		T. vvedenskyii contribute to the beauty of the landscape.  Many
		dramatic desert candles from Eremurus lactiflorus, E. regelii,
		
		E. robustus and E. sogdianus flower in late spring into early
		summer.  Monocots include also Iris korolkowii and Polygonatum
		sewerzowii, both unknown in cultivation but well worth attention.  Tall
		grasses and shrubs as well as an abundance of Tamarix, Rosa, Ferula
		and Prangos, all grow in this area.  Salvia sclarea, Roemeria
		refracta and Pseudosedum longidentatum are also among attractively
		interesting plants there. Forest, subalpine and alpine vegetation can be seen also in Central
		Asian nature reserves such as the Aksu-Dzabagly (Kazakstan), Hissarskiy
		(Tadjikistan), Zaamin-Guralash (Uzbekistan) and Almaatinskiy (Kazakstan).
		The first is located on the Aksu river in the Chimkent Region, whereas the
		Almaatinskiy reserve is very close to Almaty, and can be reached within
		one day.  Forests also occur in the Sary Chelek reserve of the Namangan
		Region (Uzbekistan) and in the Chatkalskiy reserve of the Tashkent Region
		(Uzbekistan).  However, shrub thickets dominate the Issyk Kul’ reserve
		(Kyrgyzstan).  The "Tiger Ravine" reserve in the Pyanczh Region (Tajikistan)
		includes forests, meadows and deserts and also special forest and scrub
		complex at the bottom of river valleys, "tugai," in Russian.  The Badkhyz
		and Repetek reserves (Turkmenistan) include semideserts interspersed with
		Pistacia woodlands and more typical desert vegetation. Badkhyz is
		actually the southernmost point in the FSU.
	 |