Intro: 1977, first described in 2019. Janis Ruksans found this species in Kazakhstan's Berkara Valley in the Kara-Tau Mountains. The range of T. berkariesis is in southern Kazakhstan, where it grows at altitudes of up to 2,500 metres in sheltered sites among bushes. Moving further south, the populations change to T. kaufmanniana. The difference is amongst others in the DNA and in T. berkariensis, only two leaves are usually formed and the bulb makes stolons. Flower colour is variable.
BELONGS TO THE LILIACEAE FAMILY
The native region of Tulipa lies in Southeast China, where the largest concentration of the Liliaceae is found. From there, they have spread to countries such as Turkey, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan.
To a large extent, these are countries with many mountains, such as the Ala Tau mountain range, which extends into China where it is called the Tien Shan. With the fall of the Iron Curtain, it became possible for researchers from the West to study and investigate tulips in their native regions. Hundreds of different species may already have been found, occurring under various conditions. For instance, there are species growing on mountain slopes, on rocky soil, but also in heavy clay up to half a meter deep.
What they generally have in common is: scorching heat in summer and heavy snow in winter.
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