Greig Tulip is the most famous and popular all over the world among Kazakhstan tulips. It was described by by E.L.Regel in 1868, that was taken from the mountains of Karatau. It was named in honor of Samuel Alekseevich Greig, president of the Russian Society of Gardeners. It grows on plains, foothills and in the mountains - up to the lower boundary of the subalpine belt. In Kazakhstan it is spread from the desert areas of Kzylorda to the northern spurs of the Chu-lli Mountains, including Karatau and the Western Tien Shan, in the east it reaches the border of the Almaty region. In 1877 this species was awarded a first-class diploma in Holland. It is rightly considered to be the king of tulips. Strong high stem, large-scale, up to 10-15 cm in diameter, goblet flower and original burgundy-mottled leaves - all these are the main distinctive features of this sort. The pure, saturated color of the flower varies in different forms from scarlet and red to orange, bright yellow, cream and almost white. In Berkara, one of the most remarkable gorges of the Syrdarya Karatau, we described more than 10 forms of it. The forms that were selected in such places need only the reproduction and practically do not require any special selection works. The well-known Dutch collector D.Leferr through the simple selection received many of its magnificent sorts. In general, this species is the ancestor of about 300 varieties, allocated in a separate class, which is more than 5% of the modern range of cultural tulips. The species grows well in culture increasing in its size with good agro technical care. It propagates itself by seeds. During the trials in Almaty it blossomed for the first time in his fourth year of life. Individuals from the collection that were completely abandoned 18 years ago have survived and even blossom.
Greig tulip that can be met in the vast expanses of the south of the Zhambyl region decorates the landscapes and gives them unspeakable charm. In some places huge glades of tulips with a density of up to 60 flowering individuals per 1m2 look completely unbelievable, especially surrounded by cultivated fields. A few kilometers prior to its visibility you can notice the "red slides" blazing with the scarlet flame.
The most protected areas with the populations of the Greig tulip are the Aksu-Zhabagly and Karatau reserves, the Sairam-Ugam and Syrdarya-Turkestan national parks, and the specialized botanical reserve “Krasnaya Gorka”. In the Zhambyl region there are only two reserves - the Berkara andtheMerkensky.
