Tulipa orthopoda Vved.

Tulipa orthopoda Vved., Opred. Rast. Sred. Azii 2: 320 (1971). Fig. 33 Type. Kazakhstan • Turkestan, 5 April 1930, Lipschitz & Pavlov 32 (holotype TASH!). General distribution. Endemic to Kazakhstan (Kubentayev et al. 2024). Distribution in Kazakhstan and habitat. Karatau, Western Tian Shan. This species grows in clay, gravel and stony slopes of the lowlands. Conservation status. Tulipa orthopoda is a vulnerable species at the global level (IUCN 2024). Phenology. Flowering in March – April; fruiting in May – June. Notes. Tulipa orthopoda is a narrowly localized endemic species to Kazakhstan (Kamelin 1990). This species was first mentioned by Vvedensky (1935) in Flora of the USSR in a note on T. bifloriformis Tulip specimens from Karatau are reportedly characterized by drooping buds, lower height, and more pubescent leaves. A detailed description in Latin was first published in 1971 in the Conspectus Florae Asiae Mediae (Vvedensky and Kovalevskaya 1971). Christenhusz et al. (2013) reported that T. orthopoda is a synonym of T. bifloriformis; however, later indicated that it deserves recognition. According to Zonneveld (2009), the genome size of T. orthopoda is 59.3 pg, while that of T. bifloriformis is 56.6 pg. This difference was sufficient to distinguish between two representatives of the same group (Everett et al. 2013). Wilson (2023) listed T. orthopoda as an independent taxon in his updated list of recognized tulip species. We agree that T. orthopoda should be recognized as an independent taxon based on several morphological characteristics and different flowering times (T. orthopoda flowers earlier than T. bifloriformis).