Peculiar formations widely deciduous forests marked in the mountain Central Asia.
Comprised mainly of walnuts, Sievers and Kyrgyz apple trees, they are called nut-fruit trees. These forests are mainly found in fragments in the Tien Shan, Dzungaria and partly the Pamir-Alai, but at present they do not form a continuous forest belt anywhere.
The largest areas of walnut-fruit forests are occupied in the southwestern Tien Shan, where they are distributed at altitudes from 1400 to 1800 m, occupying mainly slopes with a northern exposure. The lower limit of distribution of walnuts in the Western Tien Shan is 800-900 m, the upper limit is 1950-2050 m. Here, in basins protected from northern winds, a unique moderate microclimate is created with mild winters, abundant rainfall and high humidity air, providing normal conditions for the life of broad-leaved species. The soils under the walnut-fruit forests are brown and dark brown mountain forest soils.
Broad-leaved forests occupy smaller areas in other mountain systems ah of Central Asia, but everywhere they are confined to territories with uneven moisture during the growing season: high humidity in spring and early summer and the presence of a dry period at the end of summer.
The uniqueness of the ecological situation and phytocenotic appearance of these forests depends not only on their current island position in a sea of xerophytic vegetation and isolation from the main areas of distribution of broad-leaved forests, but also on the history of their formation. The history of the formation of the flora of mountainous Central Asia is complex and contradictory. Regarding the history of the forest flora of this area, the opinions of scientists do not completely coincide. But it can be considered more or less accepted that these forests arose in the Neogene and their formation occurred both with the participation of elements of the temperate flora of the Turgai forests and the more southern subtropical flora. If the species of the first group (Alliaria officinalis, Milium effusum, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Poa nemoralis, etc.) have a wide Eurasian range, then the range of the species of the second group (Hepatica falconeri, Codonopsis clematidea, Ligularia thomsonii) P. B. Kamelin and A. I. Poyarkova define as Prihymalayan. However, increased aridity in the Quaternary period of the climate of Central Asia led to an increase in the composition of the flora of walnut-fruit forests by xeromesophytes and mesoxerophytes, autochthonous species, which include Eremurus robustus, Allium aflatunense, Arum korolkowii, Dictamnus angustifolius, etc.
In general, the basis of the flora of walnut forests was made up of relatively drought-resistant and cold-resistant species of tertiary forest flora, which changed to varying degrees in the Quaternary period under the influence of new conditions.
The history of forests explains the abundance of tertiary relics in their composition, but there is a relative (compared to other formations of Central Asian vegetation) decrease in the percentage of endemic species, since forest floras, due to the uniformity of living conditions, do not act as centers of speciation, but rather serve as places of preservation and conservation ancient types and forms.
Typical walnut forests are “forests in which darkness reigns, dampness is felt, and there is a dense thicket of grass.” Few such forests have survived. Their remains are confined to the slopes of northern exposure. Best development Walnut forests reach the gentle slopes and bottoms of river valleys, where they form a stand of quality I-II.
Most researchers distinguish three types of walnut plantations: 1) clean, highly dense; 2) thinned with the participation of Kyrgyz apple trees, Turkestan hawthorn, and Turkestan maple in the tree layer; 3) mixed plantings of river valleys from walnut, Sogdian ash with an admixture of poplars.
The best-preserved walnut forests are characterized by a high crown density of the tree layer (up to 0.9). Walnut in these conditions at the age of 100-120 years reaches a height of 20 m with a trunk diameter of 45-50 cm; the second tier of the tree stand and the undergrowth are poorly developed in these conditions. When the nut is thinned out, a dense, diverse second tier of the tree stand develops (density 0.3-0.5), composed of cherry plum, Korolkov's hawthorn, and an undergrowth of Karelin's honeysuckle, almond, barberries, rose hips, and Semenov's euonymus. The herbaceous layer is well developed. As a rule, it is dominated by Brachypodium sylvaticum, Bromopsis benekenii and Aegopodium tadzhikorum, Poa nemoralis. A slight admixture of Milium effusum, Crepis sibirica, Asperula aparine, etc. In early spring, forest ephemeroids are abundant - Crocus alatavicus, Cymnospermium alberti, Shibateranthis longistipitata, Gagea gageoides, etc. In Sary-Chelek, among walnut trees We found Hepatica falconeri - a representative of the nemoral flora.
When a walnut stand is thinned, the number of its constant companions increases - Kyrgyz apple trees and Turkestan maple. Such forests are more common. In Arslanbob, a two-tiered tree stand is described: the first tier (with a density of 0.5) is composed of walnut, the second tier (with a density of 0.3-0.4) consists of Turkestan maple. The undergrowth has a density of 0.5-0.6, and includes: cherry plum, aflatunia ilmofolia, Karelin honeysuckle, etc. The grass stand retains its forest appearance, and includes: Aegopodium tadzhikorum (sp), Allium aflatunense (sol-gr), Betonica foliosa (sp), Brachypodium sylvaticum (cop), Conioselinum latifolium (sp), Dactylis glomerata (sp), Eremurus robustus (sol), Ferula sp. (sp), Geranium rectum (sol), Gymnospermiuni alberti (sp), Lithospermum tschimganicum (sol), Milium effusum (sp), Polygonatum roseum (sol), Thalictrum minus (sol), Viola fedtschenkoana (sol), Bromopsis benekenii (sp ).
Along river valleys, along outlets groundwater The richest forest groups of walnuts with an admixture of Sogdian ash and several types of poplars are developing. In these dense dense plantations, the undergrowth is poorly developed, but multi-tiered dense grass grows, which includes more moisture-loving species - Impatiens parviflora, Lamium album, Ferula foliosa, Arum korolkowii, etc. different conditions the grass stand is heterogeneous in composition and composition. Its features are mainly determined by the closeness of the tree layer, but cereals predominate almost everywhere both in the number of species and in abundance. Umbelliferae are numerous.
In general, three ecological groups are distinguished in the herbage of walnut-fruit forests: 1) forest species- shadow mesophytes; 2) meadow and meadow-steppe light-loving xeromesophytes; 3) weeds. The basis is made up of relicts of Tertiary forest vegetation, which changed to varying degrees in post-Tertiary times under the influence of new conditions. To a lesser extent, eumesophytes growing under a dense forest canopy that mitigates climatic influences (Brachypodium sylvaticum, Milium effusum, Hepatica falconeri, Polygonatum sewerzowii, etc.) have changed.
But no matter what groups of broad-leaved forests are observed in the mountains of Central Asia, the leading factors for their growth are moderate temperature conditions and soil moisture. In apple forests the combination of these factors is more intense. A well-defined (up to 3 cm) layer of forest litter forms on the soil.
The herbaceous cover of nut-fruit forests, diverse in its composition of species and ecological types, is interesting from the point of view of its introduction capabilities. The conditions of existence of plants in nature do not fully determine their environmental requirements or the amplitude of these requirements. M. V. Kulyiasov showed that these requirements develop in the process historical development plants, therefore only an ecological and historical analysis of species can determine the prospects for their behavior in new conditions. According to M.V. Kulyiasov, many plants of Central Asia, which have undergone periods of xerophytization and cold snaps in their history, belong to species with wide adaptability. He considered the group of xerophytized mesophytes particularly promising for introduction in Moscow, i.e. mesophytes that were somewhat transformed under the influence of the arid conditions of Central Asia. This group includes many species of the herbaceous layer of nuts in fruit forests: Allium aflatunense, Vinca erecta, Arum korolkowii, etc.
The list of species most characteristic of the herbaceous layer of walnut-fruit forests of Central Asia includes 109 species. About 50 species are of interest for introduction into cultivation as ornamental plants. Among them are large, very decorative onions Allium aflatunense, original Allium paradoxum and Arum korolkowii, shade-tolerant asteraceae Cicerbita thianschanica and Ligularia thomsonii, powerful eremurus - Eremurus robustus and E. stenophillus, drought-resistant Paeonia intermedia and Dictamnus angustifolius, early flowering Gymnospermium alberti, G. alta icum Scilla puschkinioides, Hepatica falconeri, etc.
A total of 70 species were brought from the broad-leaved forests of Central Asia and tested in the introduction experiment.
The natural conditions and resources of the countries of Central Asia are characterized by both some common features and significant differences. The territories of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan are located mainly within the platform area earth's crust(Turanian Plate) and are characterized by predominantly flat terrain. The Turan Lowland occupies about 80% of the territory of Uzbekistan and a significant part of Turkmenistan. The exception is certain mountainous areas in the south of Turkmenistan (Kopet Dag range) and the east of Uzbekistan (Zerafshan range). Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are almost entirely located within two mountain systems - the Pamir-Alai and Tien Shan. Mountains and highlands occupy 90% of the territory of Tajikistan and 95% of Kyrgyzstan. At the same time, about 50% of the territory of Tajikistan and 30% of Kyrgyzstan are located at an altitude of over 3000 m. The main part of the region belongs to the zone seismic activity. Destructive earthquakes have repeatedly occurred here, leading to significant losses of people and material resources.
Climate throughout the territory it is subtropical, sharply continental and dry. On the one hand, it is characterized by high average monthly temperatures and a large amount of heat, and on the other, low precipitation, which makes farming impossible without irrigation. Thus, the frost-free period ranges from 200 to 240 days a year, and the number of days with average daily temperature above +20 °C reaches 120 – 150 per year. All this provides the sum of active solar temperatures from 4000 °C to 5600 °C, allows you to grow a wide range of heat-loving crops, as well as carry out two sowings per year.
The amount of precipitation is small, and it is distributed very unevenly across the territory. In the desert regions of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, as well as in the Pamirs, up to 100 mm falls per year. In the foothills of the Kopetdag their number increases to 300 mm, on the windward slopes of the Tien Shan ranges - 1000 mm. On average, 200–300 mm of precipitation falls in lowland areas. Slightly more precipitation is observed in the intermountain valleys - Gissar (Tajikistan), Chui and Talas (Kyrgyzstan), which are the main areas of agriculture. Everywhere (both in intermountain valleys and along river valleys on the plains), farming requires artificial irrigation. The largest irrigation systems are the Karakum (Turkmenistan) and Fergana (Uzbekistan) canals. Outside the zones of irrigated agriculture, in semi-desert and desert areas, as well as in the mountains, pasture farming is developed. Low-snow winters promote year-round grazing.
Of all the diversity soil cover Gray soils are mainly used, which, when irrigated, provide high yields. They are located in almost all intermountain valleys - Vakhsh, Fergana, Chui, Talas. In the Pamirs, gray soils rise to a height of 2000 m above sea level. A significant part of the territory is occupied by sands (Karakum and Kyzylkum deserts) and unproductive soils (including saline ones). In the foothills there are mixed-grass steppes, which are also heavily developed and used for rain-fed agriculture (growing mainly grain crops in an arid climate without irrigation). In the mountainous regions of Uzbekistan, deciduous forests of cherry plum, elm, and almond rise to a height of up to 1200 m, which then turn into subalpine meadows. In Tajikistan, forests are located up to 3000 m, and above that there are alpine meadows. In total, approximately 6.5 million hectares of land are under forests in the region, but the industrial significance of the forests is small.
In the Pamir-Alai and Tien Shan mountains there are significant areas of glaciers that feed most rivers region. The Vakhsh and Pyanj rivers originate in the Pamir Mountains, forming the deep Amu Darya. Zeravshan is also one of the large rivers. In the high mountainous regions of the Tien Shan, largest river Kyrgyzstan - Naryn (upper reaches of the Syr Darya). All mountain rivers are high-water and have great hydroelectric potential. Technically possible hydropower resources are estimated at 250 billion kWh. In terms of their size, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan are second only to Russia among the CIS countries. River waters are used for irrigation, as well as industrial and domestic needs. In the area of the high-mountain lake Issyk-Kul (Kyrgyzstan), a resort and tourist zone of international importance has developed. Significant withdrawals of water from the Amudarya and Syrdarya for irrigation needs led to a violation of the regime of the internal Aral Sea, which entailed a catastrophic reduction in its area and gave rise to a number of social and environmental problems regional scale. This territory has been declared an environmental disaster area.
The subsoil of Central Asia is rich in various mineral resources. According to the reserves of some of them (natural gas, gold, antimony, mercury, uranium ores etc.) the republics occupy leading positions not only in the CIS, but also in the world. At the same time, there are significant differences in the provision of individual republics with certain types of minerals. Uzbekistan has the widest range of mineral resources. In its depths there are large reserves of mineral fuel: natural gas (Gazli, Mubarek and other fields within the Bukhara-Khiva oil and gas province), oil (Fergana Valley), brown coal (the largest Angren field in the region). Deposits of gold, tungsten, copper and polymetallic ores have been discovered in the mountainous regions in the east of the country.
In Turkmenistan the basis mineral resource base also constitute fuel resources. Rich natural gas deposits have been discovered in the Central Karakum Desert and in the south of the country (proven reserves are estimated at 2.8 trillion m3). In the west of Turkmenistan (Turkmen oil and gas province within the South Caspian Basin) significant oil deposits are concentrated (Nebitdag, Kumdag, Okarem). Industrial oil reserves are estimated at 250 million tons. Ozokerite (natural petroleum bitumen) is also mined here, which has wide economic applications, including in medicine. In the area of the dried-up Kara-Bogaz-Gol Bay there are large reserves of Glauber's salt (mirabilite), as well as iodine salts, magnesium chloride, and bromine. Sulfur deposits have been discovered.
Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have significant reserves of various ore resources. Among them are polymetallic ores. The reserves of tungsten, gold, antimony and mercury are estimated to be large. Of the ferrous metals, only the Khujand deposit can be distinguished iron ores in Tajikistan (reserves are estimated at 120 million tons). Fuel resources are limited. They are represented by a few deposits of hard and brown coal with reserves of local importance, as well as uranium ores. Oil and natural gas deposits have been explored in Tajikistan. Large stocks available table salt, mineral construction raw materials. Other minerals include precious and semi-precious stones and mineral waters.
In the desert sands, lashes of twisted saxauls flutter in the wind, and on the salt marsh lands, saltworts have spread out in bizarre greenish-red rosettes. Of course, not all of them are suitable for landscaping, but the unique flora of Central Asia, primarily mountainous, has long been and continues to be a rich source of plant introduction to other parts of our country.
When people talk about the conifers of Central Asia, they first of all think about junipers or, as they are called here, obarcha. Juniper forests cover a significant part of the mountain slopes, primarily in the highlands and are distinguished great variety types and forms. These can be trees, the twisted trunks of which reach a height of 10 m or more, lush bushes that form intricate tangles at the edge of rapids, picturesque evergreen “pillows”, as if scattered by someone’s skillful hand across the high-mountain meadows. Central Asian junipers are distinguished by scale-like needles and rather large cone berries, some types of which are used by the local population for food. The most famous junipers are Turkestan and Zeravshan. Both are quite winter-hardy, unpretentious and decorative when planted. However, these interesting views Central Asian junipers, unfortunately, are not yet well known in landscaping. Junipers are propagated by seeds, subjecting them to long-term stratification before sowing. They grow slowly, forming dense bushes.
Among the coniferous trees of Central Asia, Schrenk spruce and Semenov fir were introduced into the European part of the country. They grow in the Tien Shan and Alatau mountains, forming on the northern slopes and in river valleys forest areas - islands of "taiga" in Central Asia. It is interesting that in many places where they grow, these conifers take root in the lower branches of the crowns. Then such trees look unusually picturesque: they seem to grow from a shaggy thicket of young growth, surrounding the pyramids of old mother plants in a tight ring. Schrenk's spruce is the longest-coniferous spruce in Russia. The needles of this species reach a length of 4 cm. Long flowing branches make the crown of the Schrenk spruce unusually picturesque in park plantings. Semenov fir is completely different. Its branches, covered with young light green needles, grow almost horizontally, and the tree resembles a children's pyramid. Both plants are quite frost-resistant in temperate latitudes. True, there the Semenov fir, like many other types of fir, suffers from late spring frosts. Then the young needles turn yellow and fall off. But this happens mainly in at a young age, and over the years the resistance of Semenov fir increases.
Both species are propagated by seeds. Before sowing, they are soaked in water, after which they germinate faster. At a young age, plants “sit” for a long time, but after 4-6 years their growth gradually accelerates. Both species are very demanding on soil moisture and fertility. Schrenk spruce and Semenov fir are practically the only large trees from conifers of Central Asia. Therefore, they are an almost obligatory component of the geographical collection of this region.
Sometimes in botanical gardens in the area of Central Asian plants you can see bizarre bushes, the thin green shoots of which are covered with scale-like leaves, like shoots of horsetail. This is ephedra. They belong to the gymnosperm department, like spruce, fir, and juniper, but unlike the latter, ephedra seeds are covered with juicy pulp. This makes them similar to the berries of flowering plants. The unusual appearance of ephedra, especially when bright red or yellow “berries” ripen on female bushes, makes it one of the most exotic representatives of the Central Asian flora. It turned out that many types of local ephedra (horsetail, Fedchenko, intermediate) are quite winter-hardy even near Moscow. Therefore, unpretentious drought-resistant ephedra can be widely used in landscaping. Ephedra is propagated by seeds. Ephedra plantings on rocky areas are especially beautiful. By the way, these plants (they are also called conifers) are quite widely used in medicine to treat rheumatism and heart diseases.
Externally, tamarix, or combs, are similar to ephedra. These are low shrubs with small scale-like leaves on thin green shoots. But tamarix are flowering plants. They bloom for quite a long time, almost all summer, if the weather cooperates. At the same time, numerous small boxes with pubescent seeds ripen on the shoots. Tamarix grow very quickly. Some of them (juniper, branched and the closely related myricaria foxtail) are quite winter-hardy in temperate latitudes. Tamarix is sometimes called “immortelle” because this plant is able to survive where other species cannot. A tamarisk branch is as easy to root as a willow branch. Tamarix continues to live in water and on saline soils. Oh is not afraid of being covered with sand and being cut, so the plant is quite popular in landscaping. Tamarix are planted as tapeworms, they are used to form clipped borders, and they are used to strengthen moving sands. Delicate thin shoots of tamarisk form a kind of transparent green haze against the background of vegetation, small pink flowers give it extraordinary beauty.
Of the numerous Rosaceae in Central Asia, the first to be noted is the Niedzwiedtsky apple tree - a small tree with reddish leaves that is unusually beautiful during the flowering period, when crimson-purple flowers turn it into a charming bouquet. Even the fruits of the Niedzwiedtsky apple tree are red not only in appearance, they have a characteristic pink pulp. I.V. Michurin was very fond of this decorative apple tree. The Nedzvedtsky apple tree is quite winter-hardy in temperate latitudes and is unpretentious. It grows quickly and greatly enhances decorative plantings. This apple tree is planted along alleys and used as tapeworms or group plantings.
Much less commonly found in the collections of botanical gardens and arboretums is Aflatunia vyazolifolia. It is a small tree or shrub whose pink flowers bloom before leafing. During this period of spring, aflatunia is very beautiful. It turned out that it is quite winter-hardy and can grow even near Moscow, therefore, aflatunia is a promising ornamental species for introduction into the European part of the country. In spring, trees and bushes of common almonds and common apricots are decorated with pink or white flowers. Almond and apricot blossoms are simply irresistible. They bloom earlier than our European fruit plants and thus, as it were, herald the arrival of spring. Unfortunately, both species are not winter-hardy enough; apricot is cultivated to the latitude of Polesie in Ukraine, and almonds are cultivated even further south - to the forest-steppe subzone.
The Tien Shan exochord is very beautiful in plantings. It is a low shrub with simple oblong leaves. During the flowering period, the entire crown of the exochord is covered with numerous clusters of white flowers and becomes festively elegant. Exochorda is quite winter-hardy, and it is successfully cultivated in many gardens and parks of temperate latitudes.
All Rosaceae are propagated primarily by seeds, which require stratification before sowing. Young plants grow quickly. They are unpretentious and can tolerate some shading. Rosaceae are used not only as tapeworms. They are used to create trimmed hedges and borders, as they tolerate pruning well. These plants are valuable for strengthening eroded slopes, and many of them also have nutritional value.
Among the exotic plants of Central Asia, sea buckthorn and angustifolia should be mentioned. Both species, however, have a much wider range (sea buckthorn is distributed from the southwestern European to the southern Siberian regions of the country, gooseberry - from the southeastern regions to Altai), but they are very characteristic of the mountain landscapes of Central Asia. These are small trees or shrubs with narrow silvery (in sea buckthorn) or white-pubescent (in oleaster) leaves on spiny, curved shoots. The flowers of the plants are inconspicuous. In sea buckthorn they are generally devoid of the usual perianth. The main beauty of the bushes is in the elegant foliage. In addition, sea buckthorn is very attractive after the ripening of the bright yellow drupes, which literally cling to the shoots of the plant (female bushes, because sea buckthorn is dioecious). Even in winter, when the foliage has long flown from the branches, elegant garlands of bead-shaped drupes continue to decorate the shoots.
Sea buckthorn and oleaster are quite winter-hardy in temperate latitudes. They are very unpretentious and can grow on rocky and sandy poor soils. Tolerates drought and needs bright sunlight. These plants reproduce not only by seeds (which, by the way, should be stratified before sowing), but also by root shoots that grow abundantly around the mother plants. It is easy to get the desired samples of female or male sea buckthorn by sprouting, but when planting seeds it is almost impossible to guess. Both species grow very quickly. These are not only beautiful tapeworm plants, but also valuable material for anti-erosion plantings, strengthening river banks, ravines and afforestation of man-made dumps.
A notable tree of Central Asia is the eastern plane tree or, as it is often called, plane tree. In fact, this species comes from Eastern Mediterranean and Asia Minor, and in Central Asia it has long been cultivated. Gigantic plane trees here reach a height of 40 m and a diameter of 4 m or more. By appearance The sycamore resembles our Norway maple, but the leaves of the sycamore are alternate. When you look at a plane tree, you are always struck by its light, seemingly barkless trunk. For this, people sometimes call the plane tree “shameless.” The fact is that every spring the tree is freed from the old bark, as if undressing, forming a new, young one. This property is typical for many southern woody plants and is associated with their adaptation to hot climates. Unfortunately, the plane tree is not winter-hardy enough, especially at a young age, and it is killed by frost. Young trees need shelter for the winter. Oriental plane tree is cultivated in Ukraine and in more southern regions of the country. It is propagated by seeds. Sycamore grows very quickly and outpaces other tree species by about half the size. It is drought-resistant, undemanding to growing conditions, and somewhat shade-tolerant at a young age. This majestic and unique tree is widely used for landscaping the streets of southern cities and in parks.
A story about exotic plants of Central Asia would be far from complete without mentioning local tulips and eremurus. Both of them are a kind of symbol of Central Asia. Anyone who has ever visited these parts will never forget the unique landscapes with blooming Eremurus plumes or bright carpets of tulips.
From numerous types Central Asian tulips (their botanists number up to 66 species), the most interesting are the Excellent, Tubergen, Foster (with red flowers), Superior, Albert, Ostrovsky (with orange flowers), Bieberstein, Kaufman (with yellow flowers), late and Turkestan (with white flowers). By the way, the colors of many tulips can vary from white to red. Tulips belong to the group of ephemeral plants. This means that they begin the growing season early, quickly bloom, form capsule fruits and dry out already at the beginning of summer, remaining dormant in the soil until the next spring. Tulips are very unpretentious and drought-resistant. Moreover, they cannot tolerate excessive soil moisture and are capable of getting wet in such areas. Tulips are propagated by bulbs, children or seeds. From seeds they grow for a long time and bloom in about 5-7 years. Central Asian tulips are one of the best decorations for flower beds and rock gardens. Of course, in the size of their flowers and the richness of their color, they are significantly inferior to the best cultivated varieties of these plants, recognized in floriculture, but wild tulips well convey the originality of the natural landscape of Central Asia, its unique beauty.
Eremurus are much less known in ornamental gardening. This is due to the more complex cultivation of such unusual southern plants. In the soil there is a short vertical rhizome of Eremurus, from which thick spider-like roots radiate in different directions. Every year the lower part of the rhizome dies off, and a new one grows on top. Eremurus respond very subtly to increased soil moisture and quickly get wet during periods of prolonged rain. They must be grown in elevated, well-drained soils. Every spring, a rosette of long linear Eremurus leaves with a characteristic high peduncle grows on the soil surface. The inflorescence of Eremurus is a large cylindrical raceme, reaching a length of 80 cm or more. The flowers are medium in size, of various colors. Flowering begins from the bottom of the inflorescence and gradually spreads to its top. Like tulips, eremurus bloom mainly in the first half of summer and go into a dormant state. True, in culture there is often a continuation of the growing season of Eremurus until autumn. And in natural conditions they are typical ephemeroids.
Of the numerous Central Asian eremurus (there are about 50 of them here), the most interesting are the Tianypan eremurus, amazing, Olga (with pink flowers), narrow-leaved, yellow, deceiving (with yellow flowers), white (with white flowers), Alberta (with red flowers), Regela (with purple-brown flowers). At correct selection plot, the collection of eremurus becomes an extraordinary decoration of the park. These plants are well suited for rock gardens and rock gardens, flower beds and flower borders.
In the Forests of Central Asia
The mountain forests of Central Asia amaze with their unique combination tree species. Tamarisk bushes are piled up next to the birch, and spruce grows next to the poplar. In these forests of coniferous species Tree-like juniper or juniper and special Tien Shan spruce predominate, and among deciduous trees - elm, Walnut, maple, apple tree, birch, ash, poplar, willow, pistachio, apricot.
In the valleys you sometimes come across entire groves of ironwood, distinguished by very hard and heavy greenish-yellow wood, and Turkestan maple with an abundant undergrowth of barberry, tamarisk and other southern shrubs.
Mountain slopes are often covered with apple forests and groves of wild apricots (apricots) growing nearby. Individual apple trees reach half a meter in diameter. Walnut forests often stand nearby, where most two- and three-hundred-year-old trees up to one and a half meters in diameter live.
The main canopy of these forests is formed by trees twelve to twenty meters high, covering the second tier of Turkestan maple and apple trees. The admixture of other species and shrubs makes them dense and shady. This distinguishes them from forests from fruit trees, where apple trees, pears, cherry plums and others grow scattered among the dense grassy greenery.
In the mountain forests of Central Asia there is a small but very valuable fruit tree - pistachio. Higher up, juniper forests stretch over thousands of hectares. Its trunks are clumsy and twisted. Her dense thickets dark spots appear on bare rocky slopes.
The forests of Central Asia are given great originality by a special type of acacia, nicknamed “asa-musa” by the local population. Its bush sometimes reaches two to three meters in height and almost twelve meters in width.
If you light a bush of this plant, it will instantly flare up, burn, but... will not burn. What explains the “fireproofness” of this plant? Acacia asa-musa secretes highly flammable essential oils, which, saturating the air, flare up at the slightest spark. But the top, saturated essential oils the layer burns out so quickly that the fire does not have time to ignite the solid wood of the plant.
Central Asian mountain forests stand out as islands among much larger meadow or steppe spaces and open rocky slopes.
The low desert-steppe parts of Kyrgyzstan are characterized by the predominance of gray soils, combined with brown semi-desert and light chestnut soils. In the lower part of the Chui Valley there is also a complex of gray-meadow, meadow, meadow-bog soils, solonchaks and solonetzes.
Northern Kyrgyzstan, with an increase in altitude and a change in hydrothermal conditions, is characterized by the replacement of gray soils and chestnut soils with mountain medium-humus chernozems. Mountain brown forests form on the slopes under spruce forests. forest soils, under nut-fruit and juniper - mountain brown soils. Higher upper limit The forests are dominated by mountain meadow and mountain peaty soils.
For South-Western (Primergan) Kyrgyzstan, chernozems and light chestnut soils of the adyrs are replaced by dark gray soils with height and, higher up, by brown carbonate soils. In the middle mountains, mountain brown leached soils are developed under shrubs, and brown forest soils are developed under spruce. Finally, in the high-mountain belt, mountain-meadow and meadow-steppe leached soils are common, as well as mountain-meadow soddy-semi-peat soils under mixed-grass alpine meadows.
On the high-mountain syrts of the Inner Tien Shan, soil scientists distinguish takyr-like soils of high-mountain deserts, high-mountain meadow-steppe soils of wormwood-fescue and feather-grass-wormwood steppes.
The supply of nutrients to the republic's soils is characterized by an agrochemical map. It can provide significant assistance in planning the delivery and application of mineral fertilizers.
The map was compiled based on data from large-scale agrochemical mapping of collective and state farm lands, carried out by the Republican Zonal, Osh, Issyk-Kul and Naryn regional agrochemical laboratories. For each administrative district, land areas (in percentage) are determined, characterized by low, medium and high degree supply of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The map highlights regions of soils with high alkalinity, where it is recommended to use physiological acidic mineral fertilizers. The highest amounts of easily hydrolyzed nitrogen are characteristic of the chernozems of the Issyk-Kul depression and hydromorphic soils of the Chui valley, while the light gray soils of Southern Kyrgyzstan are characterized by the minimum. Intensive accumulation of mobile phosphorus compounds occurs in cotton-growing areas of the Osh region, where in some cases the amount of phosphorus exceeds 6 mg P2O5 per 100 g of soil. The main areas of soil (88%) contain less than 3 mg of P2O5 available phosphorus per 100 g of soil.
Vegetation
Forests occupy a small part (3.5%) of the territory of the republic. There are only 0.2 hectares of forests per inhabitant. Mostly steppes and deserts dominate, including their high-mountain cold variants.
The lower belt in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan is ephemeral deserts on gray soils, which are characterized by the abundant development in spring of many ephemerals and ephemeroids. At this time, the vegetation of this zone is similar to meadows: there are many cereals, sedges, bluegrass, and umbellifers. In summer they are replaced by drought-resistant desert subshrubs, mainly wormwood, that develop and persist during the summer heat. Shrubs and subshrubs of tereskens, saltwort, barnyard grass, acantholimon, and saltpeter also grow.
As you ascend into the mountains, ephemeral and saltwort-wormwood deserts give way to wheatgrass semi-desert or wheatgrass-forb. The main plant here is wheatgrass, tall bulbous barley is common, and a huge umbrella plant, ferula, is also found.
Higher up, this belt gives way to dry feather grass-fescue steppes. The main plants here are grasses: feather grass, fescue, wheatgrass, bearded grass; Among the shrubs, pistachios are found in places, forming large but not dense thickets.
Next belt - meadow steppe belt , bushes and deciduous forests. It begins at altitudes of 1200-1500 m. Beautiful, dense, often tall grass meadows grow here; many cereals, umbellifers, asteraceae, etc.; Feathergrass, thin-legged, and bonfire are common; Among the brightly and beautifully blooming ones, we note eremurus, which blooms in the second half of summer, geranium, and scabiosa. The predominant shrubs are caragana spinyleaf, Tien Shan cherry, rose hips, meadowsweet (spirea), honeysuckle, hawthorn, and barberry. Thickets of sea buckthorn, common apricot, and bird cherry are confined to the floodplains of the rivers.
On the southern slopes of the Fergana and Chatkal ranges broad-leaved and walnut-fruit forests partially occupy a certain zone at an altitude of 1500-2300 m above sea level. Below it is very dry, above it is cold, and heat-loving tree species freeze out. In these forests, located on separate islands, there are walnuts, Kyrgyz and Sivers apple trees, Sogdian plum, Turkestan maple, elm, cherry plum, pear, wild almonds and apricots, but there is no oak, linden, or beech here. In the undergrowth, common rose hips include Albert, corymbose, loose, Kokand, small-leaved and woolly honeysuckle, and abelia corymbose.
To protect the walnut-fruit forests in the spurs of the Chatkal ridge, it was organized in 1960 Sary-Chelek Nature Reserve (since 1978 - biosphere) with an area of 23,868 hectares, including dam lake Sary-Chelek with an area of 507 hectares. The arrays of walnut and fruit forests protected here are among the largest in the world. Sometimes among the walnut plantations there are groups of apple and pear trees. In the rich undergrowth - cherry plum, abelia, junipers, berry bushes are abundant everywhere - hawthorn, rowan, currant, barberry, raspberry, rose hip. Along the river valleys there are sea buckthorn thickets. The shores of the lakes are covered with vegetation reminiscent of a savannah; single, very old juniper trees rise above a two-meter grass stand of mostly ferula.
The extreme upper limit of the distribution of deciduous forests in Northern Kyrgyzstan is 1700 m. This belt reaches its greatest development on the marginal mountain ranges of the Tien Shan.
Subalpine meadows, steppes, coniferous forests gradually replace the previous belt of meadow steppes and deciduous forests and occupy the high mountain region. In the Fergana Range they appear at an altitude of 2500-2700 m, in the Naryn Valley - at an altitude of 2700-3100 m, and in the Alai Valley - even higher. There is dense herbaceous vegetation of the meadow-steppe type. In summer, this belt is characterized by extreme diversity and bright colors.
In the same belt, mainly in the depths of the gorges, on their northern slopes at an altitude of 1600-3100 m, there are coniferous forests of Tien Shan spruce and partly Semenov fir. Tien Shan spruce, or Schrenk spruce, is found only in the eastern half of the Kyrgyz Tien Shan. In the south it does not extend beyond Fergana, but in the east it goes very far: to the eastern end of the Tien Shan in Xinjiang and even in Western Kunlun - in the Sanju Mountains, and moreover, in the Nanshan system - in Gansu Province.
Pikhtarniki (Semyonov fir with an admixture of Tien Shan rowan, Turkestan and Tien Shan birch, Fedchenko willow, Turkestan juniper, Shrenk spruce) are found on the slopes of the western ridges of the Tien Shan - Talas (the Beshtash river basin) and Chatkal (along the Uzunakmat river).
Spruce forests are replaced by juniper thickets. Archa, or juniper, rises to 3200 m absolute height. It has been growing for centuries. Thousand-year-old juniper is not uncommon in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan; There are specimens over two thousand years old.
Archa - a peculiar tree characteristic of the mountains of Central Asia, where it is widespread, but does not form dense forest plantations. It grows rarely, and its groves are never occupied large areas. In the Tien Shan there are large thickets of creeping dwarf juniper (Siberian and Turkestan juniper). The most common type of juniper is Turkestan juniper (uryuk-archa).
Archa is a dry-loving tree; it is usually found in the mountain-steppe zone, in semi-savannas of low mountain horizons (from an altitude of 1200 m) and on the southern slopes of higher rocky mountains, where precipitation is low and evaporation is significant. But juniper trees are found, although not often, in the valleys and gorges of the meadow belt.
Subalpine meadows occupy the largest areas in the Tien Shan. Most high belt- alpine meadows - characterized by a harsh climate, which determines the development of vegetation with a predominance of low grasses. Sedges, cobresia and some grasses are the main plants of alpine meadows. Against their green background, many plants stand out with bright colors: various cruciferous plants, light gray edelweiss, yellow cinquefoil, pink and lilac asters.
The mountainous region of the Tien Shan to the southeast of Issyk-Kul is covered mainly by cobresia alpine meadows. Of the bushes, only juniper comes here, often creeping along the surface of the ground.
Loading...
