KGZ 23 Alai-Kuu Key Biodiversity Area

Acantholimon karadarjense

Genus: Acantholimon, family: Leadaceae, order: Leadaceae, class: Dicotyledonous, division: Flowering.
Zoning: Central Asia and Kazakhstan, Pamir and Pamir-Alai.The native range of this species is Kyrgyzstan. It is a subshrub that grows primarily in temperate biomes.
Botanical description of the genus: The shrubs are usually thorny, often almost spherical, branched.
The leaves are usually linear-triangular, subulate, sometimes flat and rather wide, almost always sharp.
Inflorescence - a simple or branched spike, sometimes paniculate or spike-shaped heads; the calyx is funnel-shaped or tubular, the petals are slightly fused at the base. The flowers are relatively large - purple, red or pink.
Information sources: https://openfito.ru/vids/vid/21294
https://plant.depo.msu.ru/open/public/item/MW0866032
https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:968104-1
Photo source: https://www.plantarium.ru/page/view/item/73.html



Colored thornleaf (Acanthophyllum coloratum)

Genus: Spine, family: Dianthus, order: Carnation, class: Dicotyledonous, division: Floral.
Botanical description of the species: A perennial that forms loose clumps. The root is thick. The branches of the caudex are thin, lignified with numerous dormant buds.
Stems are 10-15 cm tall, simple, thickened at the nodes, pubescent with non-glandular hairs.
mi. Leaves 1.0-1.5 cm long, 1.5-2.5 mm wide, linear, almost flat, sessile, at the apex
pointed, but not spiny, covered with short non-glandular hairs, in the axils with shortened shoots. The flowers are collected in small dense capitate inflorescences on ends of the stems. Bracts 5-6 mm long, 3.0-3.5 mm wide, ovate, membranous, often violet-colored, at the apex more or less suddenly turning into a short pointed. Pedicels 0.5-1.5 mm long. The calyx is 5-6 mm long, tubular-campanulate, pubescent with glandular or non-glandular hairs. The calyx teeth are 1.8-2.0 mm long, ovate-lanceolate, at the apex more or less suddenly turning into a short point,
white-film-edged. Petals are 7-8 mm long, 1.5-2.0 mm wide, oblong-obsphenoid, up to 1.5 times larger than the calyx, pinkish, with darker veins.
Phenology. Blooms in July-August, bears fruit in August-September.
Ecology. It grows on variegated outcrops and rocks, at altitudes of 1500-2600 m above sea level. u. m.
Distribution in Kyrgyzstan. Fergana ridge.
General distribution. Endemic.
Cultivation. No information available.
Meaning. Rare decorative species.
Security in Kyrgyzstan. No security measures were taken.
Information sources: Lazkov G.A., Umralina A.R. Endemics and rare plant species of Kyrgyzstan (Atlas) – FAO. Ankara, 2015
Photo source: https://www.plantarium.ru/page/view/item/146.html



Zerger onion (Allium zergericum)

A perennial herbaceous plant of the Allium genus of the Alliaceae subfamily of the Amaryllidaceae family.
Zoning: East Fergana region. Fergana Range: Zergersai River Basin.Narrowly distributed endemic.
Ecology: on mountain steppe meadows, shrub associations of the northern exposure of the low mountain belt, at altitudes of 1200-1600 m above sea level. u. m. Features of biology: Blooms in May-June, no data on fruiting.
Perennial. The bulb is flattened, spherical, 1.5-3 cm in diameter. The stem is cylindrical, smooth, up to 100 cm in height, 5-8 mm in diameter. The preleaf is short, thin, filmy, whitish, quickly falling off. Leaves number 1-3, leaf blades are linear-lanceolate, 20-65 cm in height, 2-4 cm in diameter, grooved, green with a bluish tint; The edges of the leaves are ciliated at the base, rougher above. The cover is short-pointed, brown with dark veins, breaking into 2-3 parts. The inflorescence is hemispherical or spherical, loose, multi-flowered, up to 9 cm in diameter and 7 cm in height. Pedicels are straight, equal, thin, up to 5 cm in height, green with a reddish tint, light base, without bracts. The tepals of the star-shaped perianth are 8-9 mm in height, linear to triangular in shape, cream-colored, with a faintly prominent narrow brown vein, bent downward after flowering, tips slightly curled. The filaments of the stamens are almost equal to the tepals or 1/4 longer, at the base with the perianth and fused with each other, higher free, from white to light pink, internal square widened or with two lateral denticles, slightly wider than the outer ones, awl-shaped higher. Anthers linear-oblong, 1.5-2 mm long, yellowish-gray. The ovary is on a short stalk, flattened-spherical, tuberculate. The column is 3-7 mm high, cone-shaped, thread-like, from white to pink. The capsule is cone-shaped and triangular, the surface is tuberculate, about 10 mm in diameter, 6-8 mm in height.
Information sources: Endemics of the Fergana Valley-https://djvu.online/file/bh9yKe9Io7CbY
Dissertation by Turdumatova N.K. “GENUS ONION (ALLIUM L.) IN KYRGYZSTAN (ISSUE OF SYSTEMATICS, GEOGRAPHY AND PROSPECTS OF USE)” - Bishkek, 2022
Photo source: https://www.gbif.org/ru/occurrence/3889490674



Knorringian hawthorn (Crataegus knorringiana)

Description. Tree up to 5 - 6 m in height. The leaves are narrowly elliptical or ovate, weakly lobed. The fruits are yellow, small, with five very pitted seeds. Triterpenes have been identified in the plant.
Features of biology.Blooms at the end of IV - beginning of V. The fruits ripen in IX. The growing season ends in X. Reproduction is by seed.
The distribution is general in the country.Kyrgyzstan: river valley Chichkan, Chatkal, Fergana, Alai ranges.
Places of growth.Among tree and shrub vegetation in river valleys, on rocky and fine-earth slopes in the lower and middle zones of the mountains.
Number.Insignificant. Grows in single specimens.
Limiting factors.Economic development of the growing area. Used by the population for fuel. Renews very poorly.
Cultivation.No information
Security measures exist.Included in the Red Book of the Kirghiz SSR (1985).
Recommended security measures.In the Toskul-Ata and Kara-Alma forestry enterprises, all remaining plants should be protected from felling and young plants being eaten by livestock.
Photo source: https://www.plantarium.ru/page/image/id/485737.html
Source:Red Book of the Kyrgyz Republic. 2nd edition – Bishkek, 2007



Hedysarum chaitocarpum

Status: EN. A relict endemic species found in walnut-fruit forests.
Botanical description of the species.Perennial, up to 60 cm in height, herbaceous plant with bare stems and fused stipules. Leaflets 3-8 paired, oblong or elliptical, up to 45 mm long, up to 22 mm wide. The inflorescence is a dense raceme of 20-30 flowers. The calyx is much shorter than the corolla, the corolla is up to 22 mm long, pink-purple, the bean has 3-5 segments. The surface of the fruit is transversely ribbed, covered with short, thin bristles. There are individuals in which the setae on the fruits are not developed.
Features of biology. Flowers VI, fruits VII-VIII. Propagated by seeds.
The distribution is general in the country. Chatkal, Uzun-Akhmat, Fergana and Alai ranges (Achinsky, Gava forestry enterprises, Sary-Chelek reserve, Kara-Shoro river basin, near the waterfall in Arslanbab).
Growing conditions.Walnut and other broad-leaved forests, shrubs, tall grass meadows, extends into the subalpine zone.
Number.It occurs very rarely in groups, in most cases - alone. It was once widespread.
Limiting factors. Anthropogenic impact in general on forests and haymaking. Cultivation. No information.
Security measures exist. Special protection measures have not been developed and are included in the Red Book of the Kyrgyz SSR.
Recommended security measures. Count the population, clarify the habitat, organize botanical reserves in places of greatest concentration of the population. Introduction to culture.
A source of information: https://open.kg/about-kyrgyzstan/nature/red-book/fungi-and-higher-plants/31789-kopeechnik-schetinoplodnyy-memesu-tuktuu-tyyynchanak-chaeto-fruited-sweet-broom.html
Photo source:https://www.plantarium.ru/page/image/id/121563.html



Fergana immortelle (Helichrysum ferganicum)

Perennial herbaceous plant of the Asteraceae family.As a rule, in the literature and Internet sources, under the trivial name “immortelle,” there are references to representatives of the genus Tsmin (Helichrysum) [4], which previously included species that currently belong to the botanical genus Helichrysum (Xerochrysum).
Zoning: Central Asia and Kazakhstan, Pamir and Pamir-Alai. The native range of this species is Kyrgyzstan.
Botanical description of the genus: Annual or perennial herbaceous, slightly pubescent plants. The stem is usually single, erect (less often branched), leafy, 30-120 cm high. The leaves are simple, alternate, with whole and entire blades.
Inflorescences are hetero- or homogamous baskets, 20-50 mm in diameter, located one at a time at the tops of the stem and its branches. Involucres 12-20 mm long, cup-shaped, with leaflets arranged like tiles in 4-6 rows. Almost completely leathery-membranous, light brown, yellow, silver or reddish. The receptacle is slightly convex, there are no bracts, with slightly elevated cells.
The flowers are tubular, often weakly colored, the few outer ones are often pistillate, the rest are bisexual with a five-toothed corolla.
Achenes are 2.2 - 2.5 mm long and 0.6-0.7 mm wide, tetrahedral-prismatic, glabrous, with 4 weak veins, practically not narrowed towards the base. Pappus 6-8 mm long, made of rough bristles welded at the base into a ring, falling off entirely or falling apart.
Interesting Facts: The Russian-language name of the genus immortelle is a generalized name for several species of “dried flowers” - plants, the dried parts of which remain decorative for a long time, including various species of the genus Tsmin, Kermek, Dried Flowers and others.
Herbarium photo source: https://plant.depo.msu.ru/open/public/item/MW0594997




Catnip (Nepeta pseudokokanica)

Genus: Catnip, family: Lamiaceae, order: Lamiaceae, class: Dicotyledonous, division: Flowering.
Catnip is a genus of plants in the Lamiaceae family, numbering about two hundred and fifty species. This perennial herb grows on almost all continents.
Botanical description of the species: Perennial herbaceous plant. Flowering stems are numerous, 10–30 cm tall, straight, pubescent with long or shorter, curly non-glandular hairs. The stem leaves are green on both sides, pubescent with rather long hairs, with broadly rhombic, broadly triangular-ovate or almost rounded blades, 5–15 mm long, 5–15 mm wide. Flowers are at the ends of stems and branches in whorls, collected in fairly dense spike-shaped inflorescences 2–4 cm long. Calyx tubular, 8–9 mm long. Corolla lilac-blue, 17–19 mm long.
Phenology. Blooms in July, bears fruit in August.
Ecology. It grows on rocky screes at altitudes of 2500-3000 m above sea level. u. m.
Distribution in Kyrgyzstan. Fergana ridge.
General distribution. Endemic.
Cultivation. No information available.
Meaning. Rare decorative species.
Security in Kyrgyzstan. No security measures were taken
A source of information: Lazkov, Naumenko (2014). Lazkov G.A., Umralina A.R. Endemics and rare plant species of Kyrgyzstan (Atlas) – FAO. Ankara, 2015
Photo source: https://www.plantarium.ru/page/view/item/25003.html



Neuroloma tianschanicum

Genus: Parrilla, family: Brassicas, order: Caperaceae, class: Dicotyledonous, division: Floral.
Habitat: rocky mountain slopes.
Botanical description of the species: herbaceous plant
There are 4 petals in the corolla.
Botanical description of the genus: Perennial herbaceous plants. Leaves are entire or pinnately divided. The flower arrow is often leafless.
Sepals are spaced, lateral at the base, often saccular. The petals are large, with a long nail, purple or white. The filaments of the stamens are free, without teeth. Around the base of the short stamens there is one ring-shaped honey gland open to the outside. The ovary is sessile. The column is short. The stigma is bilobed. The fruit is an oblong or linear pod, flattened at the back; the valves are flat, with a clear midrib, reticulate-veined. Seeds are double-rowed or single-rowed, flat, winged or wingless. The cotyledons are flat; embryo is marginal.
Sources: https://openfito.ru/vids/vid/48266
Photo source: https://www.plantarium.ru/page/view/item/27061.html


Olgaea vvedenskyi

Genus: Olgaea, family: Compositae, order: Astroraceae, class: Dicotyledonous, division: Floral.
Zoning: The native range of this genus is from Afghanistan to the southwest. Siberia and China.
Botanical description of the genus:
Olgea is a genus of Asian flowering plants in the thistle tribe in the sunflower family, having the typical appearance of a thistle.
The leaves are simple.
Interesting Facts: In 1922, Modest Mikhailovich Ilyin (from the Botanical Garden of the USSR Academy of Sciences) named the genus in honor of the Russian botanist Olga Fedchenko (1845–1921).
Information sources: https://openfito.ru/vids/vid/46409



Onosma azurea

Genus: Onosma, family: Borageaceae, order: Borageaceae, class: Dicotyledonous, division: Flowering.
Zoning: The native range of this species is Kyrgyzstan. It grows mainly in temperate biomes.They are found in the Mediterranean, the Caucasus, Central and South-Eastern Europe, the Southern Urals, Western and Central Asia, and southern Siberia.
Flowers: perianth actinomorphic, fused-petalled; number of petals 5; inflorescence curl.
External signs of leaves: leaves are simple; there is no division; the attachment is sessile; the edge is smooth.
Differences between the shoots: the leaf arrangement on the shoot is alternate.
Fruits: dry type; dry nut.
Interesting Facts: Onosma is a perennial plant that is used in medicine and agriculture. Now only 145 species of plants are
known that grow in southwest Russia. Onosma protozoa is widely used on the farm as a dye or in official and folk medicine as a medicine.
Information sources: https://openfito.ru/vids/vid/46749
https://vitaslovar.ru/osnovnye-vitaminy/onosma-polza-lechebnye-svojstva-i-protivopokazaniya.html
https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:119548-1



Oxytropis masarensis

Oxytropis can also be found in botany literature under the name Oxytropis. This representative of the flora belongs to the subfamily Moths (Faboideae), which is part of the large family Legumes (Fabaceae).
Botanical description of the species: Herbaceous plant, life form - rosette.
Flowers: perianth zygomorphic; number of petals 5; inflorescence raceme.
External signs of leaves: shape - elongated; division - pinnate; order of complexity - 1; attachment - petiolate; division - absent; edge - smooth; leaves - compound; appendages - stipules or trumpets; shape - oval or elliptical.
Differences in shoots: the leaf arrangement on the shoot is regular.
Fruits: dry type; dry pod or bean; color with shades of brown.
Interesting Facts: Ostrolodka is a perennial whose medicinal properties have long been known in folk medicine. Basically, a decoction is prepared from it, used for neuroses and neurasthenia, as well as to eliminate manifestations of vegetative-vascular dystonia. It has been noted to have a strong sedative and narcotic effect, as well as the ability to heal wounds, resist microbes and inflammation, and tone the body.
Information sources:https://openfito.ru/vids/vid/47489
https://tutknow.ru/garden_and_orchard/14410-ostrolodochnik-sovety-po-posadke-i-uhodu-v-otkrytom-grunte-i-ego-primenenie.html



Heart-leaved zopnik (Phlomoides cordifolia)

Other names: Cordifolia, Phlomoides cordifolia, Phlomoides cordifolia, Phlomoides cordifolia
Genus: Zopniczek < family: Lamiaceae < order: Lamiaceae < class: Dicotyledonous < division: Flowering.
Botanical description of the species:
The native range of this species is Kyrgyzstan. It is a perennial plant that grows primarily in temperate biomes.
Flowers: perianth zygomorphic, fused-petaled; number of petals 5; inflorescence spike or whorled.
External signs of leaves: leaves are simple; there is no division; petiole attachment.
Differences in shoots: leaf arrangement on the shoot is opposite.
Fruits: dry type; dry nut.
Sources: https://openfito.ru/vids/vid/48865, https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:943602-1
Photo source:https://www.plantarium.ru/page/image/id/97066.html



Snow leopard [Panthera uncia]

Status: III. Critically Endangered, CR C2a(i): R, C1.
The distribution is general in the country. Found in 12 mountainous countries in Asia. In Kyrgyzstan - on the Pskem, Chandalash, Talas, Kyrgyz, Suusamyr, Chatkal, Fergana, Turkestan, Alay ranges, as well as Kungey and Teskey Ala-Too, Naryn-Too, Moldo-Too, At-Bashi, Sary-Jaz and Kokshaal -Too.
Habitats. In the alpine and subalpine landscape zones at an altitude of 3 to 4 thousand m, it prefers a moderately dissected topography with individual hills for viewing and shelters in the form of stones and clumps of shrubs (karagana, juniper). The forest belt is usually visited when moving from one river valley to another. In winter, it is also found in the upper forest zone, following mountain goats.
Number. It was considered a common species on many mountain ranges, the total number at the beginning of the 80s was estimated at 1400 individuals, according to E. Koshkarev - at 600-700 individuals, but not more than 1000. Over the past 10-12 years, the number of the species has decreased by 5-10 times and continues to decrease, currently it does not exceed 150–250 individuals [20]. The highest density is in the highlands of the Northern Tien Shan, approximately the same in the Alai, Inner and Central Tien Shan, and the lowest in the Western Tien Shan [19]. The world population of the species is 5-7 thousand individuals.
Lifestyle (life cycles). Lives sedentary. Active during twilight and night hours, in winter and spring, when ungulates are active during the day, also found during daylight hours. The rut is in February-March, the pregnancy of females lasts 98¬103 days, there are 1-3 cubs in a litter (very rarely - up to 5). The female gives birth once every 2 years, sexual maturity occurs at the age of two. The main prey is mountain goats, argali, marmots, less often - roe deer, deer, wild boars, hares, snowcocks, and chukars. The diseases are poorly studied; cases of rabies and scabies are known.
Limiting factors. Anthropogenic: permitted fishing (late 19th – early 20th centuries); development of sheep breeding and development of mountains, poaching.
Breeding (keeping in captivity). It is well bred in many zoos around the world, with a total number of at least 700 individuals, including 6 zoos in the CIS.
Security measures exist. Hunting on the territory of Kyrgyzstan has been prohibited since 1948; since 1959, legal liability has been established for hunting and catching without licenses. Listed in the International CC and Appendix 1 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna. Since 1975, it has been included in the List of Specially Protected Species of Kyrgyzstan. It is protected on the territory of the Sarychelek, Besharal, Naryn, Karatal-Zhapyryk, Sarychat-Ertash (created in 1993 primarily for this species) reserves, as well as in the Alaarchinsky, Karakol and Chonkeminsky national natural parks.
Recommended security measures. Creation of a protected area in Alai. Strengthening the promotion of species protection among the local population, strengthening protection and implementing the relevant articles of the Law on the Protection of Wildlife of Kyrgyzstan (2000).
Source: Red Book of the Kyrgyz Republic. 2nd edition – Bishkek, 2007