Tulipa hungarica subsp. undulatifolia(Roman) Roman & Beldie
Tulipa hungarica var. urumoffii(Hayek) Hayek
Tulipa orientalisLevier
Tulipa orientalis var. urumoffii(Hayek) Stoj. & Stef.
Tulipa urumoffiiHayek
Tulipa hungarica, the Danube tulip, Banat tulip or Rhodope tulip, is a species of flowering plant in the familyLiliaceae. It is also in the subgenus Tulipa. It is found on the rocky mountainsides of Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Slovenia, especially along the gorges of the river Danube. It has small bright yellow flowers in spring and blue-grey leaves.
Tulipa hungarica is a perennial plant,[4] with a small,[5] ovoid shaped bulb that has brown papery skin (tunicate) and sessile bulbils (growing off main bulb). Meaning that it vegetativly increases from the original plants.[6]
It has large glaucous (blue-grey coloured) leaves,[7] which are elliptic-lanceolate or linear-lanceolate shaped.[4] They can be up to 30–37cm (1ft 0in– 1ft 3in) long and 5.7–7.8cm (2.2in– 3.1in) wide.[8]
It has a hairless stem and the plant can grow up to 40–60cm (1ft 4in– 2ft 0in) tall.[4][7]
It has 3 inner and 3 outer flower petals, which slightly overlap,[6] they are between 5–10cm (2.0in– 3.9in) long,[7] and 22–35mm (0.87in– 1.38in) wide.[4] The outer petals are up to three times as long as wide, ending in a little point,[12] like a 6 pointed star.[5]
It has stamens with yellow,[4] or golden yellow anthers,[6] which are 10–16mm long.[4][8] It has an elongated ovary, with a stigma that is approx. twice as long and broader than the ovary.[4]
After the tulip has flowered it produces a seed capsule or fruit, which is elongated or elliptical and 70mm long, and is inclined on both endpoints. Inside the capsule, it has numerous flat brown seeds.[4]
Genetics
As most tulips are diploid, having two sets of chromosomes. This can be used to identify hybrids and used in the classification of groupings. Such as Raamsdonk, L. W. D. van & T. de Vries. 1995. Species relationships and taxonomy in Tulipa subg. Tulipa (Liliaceae).[13]Tulipa hungarica has a chromosome count: 2n=2x=24.[8] It's somatic (cellular) DNA 2C value (2C) was calculated in 2008 to be 64.7 - 66. Tulipa rhodopaea was 67.6 - 70.[14]
Tulipa hungarica has had various common names. It was used to be called the Danube tulip.[12] It is also called the 'Đerdap tulip' (after the Serbian name of 'Đerdap Gorge' for the Iron Gates Gorge on the river Danube).[15] It is also called the 'yellow tulip',[16] or the 'Boiler tulip' in Moldova Nouă, Romania.[9] It is also known as the Banat tulip in Romania.[10][17] As the historical region of Banat is on the Romanian/Hungry border. It is also very occasionally known as the 'Hungarian tulip'.[4][5]
Tulipa hungarica was originally described and published by Vincze von Borbás (1844 – 1905) a Hungarian botanist,[10] in Foldmuv. Erdek. Vol.10 on page 561 in 1882.[2][20][21] It was the first tulip to be described from the Balkan region.[19]
It was also published in 'Studies on species Tulipa hungarica Borb. in Romania' by (Rum) Coste I; Faur. A. Ocrotirea Natur. 14 (2) 203-208.[22]
In 2013, the phylogenetic relationships in the genus using DNA sequences was used to determine the taxonomy and classifications. As result T. hungarica was placed in 'Tulipa subgenus Tulipa' (along with Tulipa agenensis Redouté, Tulipa fosteriana W.Irving and Tulipa greigii Regel) with the characteristics of; bulb tunics densely lined inside with rippled or silky hairs or (nearly) glabrous. Stamens without hairs orboss. Stigmas sessile.[24]
It also has a common name of Rhodope tulip, as one of its synonyms is Tulipa rhodopea (Velen.) Velen.[2] Although this name is accepted as a separate species by some sources.[14][25][24] When treated as a species, it has the synonyms (Tulipa aureolina Delip. , Tulipa hungarica subsp. rhodopea (Velen.) Raamsd. and Tulipa orientalis var. rhodopea Velen.).[26] The epithet 'Rhodope' refers to the Rhodope Mountains in Bulgaria,[18] where it is mainly found.[14]
Two sources mentions that it is native to Greece,[19] and that it was only introduced into Romania,[2] but many other sources state that it is endemic,[1][7] or native to Romania.[5]
Tulipa hungarica grows on limestone soils,[4][7][16] in open mixed deciduous forests and below shrubs.[1] As an example, it is found on the rocky sides of the gorge on the river Danube, especially through the Iron Gates gorge between Romania and Serbia,[10][4][16][9] also known as the Djerdap gorge.[30] It also grows alongside the Danube gorge through Hungary.[11]
Conservation
It was on the 'List of Rare, Threatened, and Endemic Plants' in Europe in 1977.[31] It has been an internationally protected species since 1979.[16] The species is protected by law (OG 57/2007) and also the Berne Convention.[9] It is also listed in the EU's, Habitats Directive 92/43 EEC under annex II and under annex IV.[32]
Whilst tulips generally do not appear on the IUCN Red List, in 2021 only five out of around 88 species have specific reports, two of the six species from the Balkans are represented. Tulipa hungarica was reported as 'Near Threatened', whilst Tulipa albanica was documented as 'Critically Endangered'.[19]
Tulipa hungarica is classed as 'Near Threatened' approaching Criterion D1 as there are estimated (in 2021) to be slightly more than 1,000 mature individuals in a small range. It has not been determined if the population is in decline, the rate of decline or the area of occupancy.[1]
In Romania, it is also protected under the EU's Natura 2000 network. It is listed as 'high priority' with other plants such as Centaurea jankae, Potentilla emilii-popii, Centaurea pontica, Dracocephalum austriacum, Ferula sadleriana, Gladiolus palustris, Stipa danubialis, Thlaspi jankae, Paeonia officinalis subsp. banatica, Colchicum arenarium, Saxifraga hirculus and Ligularia sibirica.[33] As it is now protected by international laws, and those who are caught breaking them risk fines of up to 15,000 lei (Romanian leu or Moldovan leu).[16]
In 2014, of the 548 taxa listed in the 'Red Book of vascular plants of Romania' (from a total of 3,795 species and subspecies in the Romanian flora), Tulipa hungarica was now listed as CR (Critically Endangered).[34]
Part of the tulip's habitat is in the protected The Iron Gates Natural Park territory (on the SW Romania and Slovenia border,[5]),[9][10] which is about 270km away from the town of Timișoara.[10] It is also known as the 'Porțile de Fier Natural Park',[10] and Tulipa hungarica is the emblem of this protected natural area.[16]
It was once fairly stable population at up to 250 plants,[4] but the rare plant has multiplied, from one year to another.[16] There were over 1,000 mature individuals on the southern slopes of Iron Gate.[1] As the insolation and exposure of the slopes in the park, make the climate pleasant and the soils are favourable for this plant.[10] It was found that in recent years, it has expanded its area, the number of wild tulips have exceeding 8,000 specimens.[10]
As the biologists from the Iron Gates nature reserve are closely monitoring it,[10] which is done from the Serbian shore, so that they can use specialised equipment on boats to watch the population, to identify any threats or pressure on this species.[16] Amalia Dumbravă, a biologist from the Iron Gates Natural Park was noted in 2021, "we have identified an approximate number of 8-9,000 plants".[16][10]
In Romania, all localities of the tulip habitats are situated above the zone of flooding. However, the species might still be threatened by collecting for local gardening.[1] Also, every spring there are hundreds of tourists to the park eager to admire its beauty in the rocky wilderness.[10] Fortunately, the tulips are protected by a steep wall 15 to 20 meters high. So most tourists are content to admire them from the boat on the river Danube,[10] and they also enjoy the telling of the legend that tells the story of these unique flowers.[16]
It has been determined that this species of tulip has become extinct across large areas of its natural range on the Balkan peninsula.[19]
Such as in Serbia, T. hungarica was rare on the north face side of the Iron Gate gorge but it has not been recorded in last ten years. Only herbarium specimens are proofs of occurrence of the species.[1]
It was also found that flooding had caused the extinction of the species in Serbia.[1] Of the 15 plant species that were recorded which are part of the "Red Book of Flora of Serbia 1", three taxa have disappeared from the area of Đerdap national park (the other side of the Iron Gates gorge), (Veronica bachofenii, Crocus banaticus and Tulipa hungarica). These 3 species have been lost, due to the flooding of their habitats in the process of building a hydroelectric power station (the Iron Gate I Hydroelectric Power Station in 1972, unfortunately before the plant protection schemes started) which formed a water reservoir.[35]
It had also become extinct in Slovenia, after another reservoir was formed.[36]
Cultivation
It is a rare plant in European gardens, but can grow in full sun in fertile soil with good drainage.[6] They could be ideal for use in rock gardens and in forest environments.[5]
It can be affected by the parasite Vankya heufleri, in the flowers, leaves and roots.[37]
Culture
A painting by the Dutch artist Jacob de Gheyn II, 'Vase of Flowers with a Curtain' in 1615, has several tulips including a hybrid Tulip hungarica crossed with Tulipa agenensis.[12]
A painting by Zoltan Molnar called 'Meadow Flowers Indigenous to Hungary' features 'Tulipa hungarica' as well as others including Syringa josikaea and Verbascum thapsiforme.[38]
An image of the Rhodope Tulip (or Tulipa rhodopea, a syn. of t. hungarica) was used in a Flower series of postage stamps by Bulgaria in 1960.[39]
According to an old tale; about a local Romanian girl who fell in love with a shepherd who was grazing his sheep up on the Ciucarul Mare plateau in the Banat Mountains. The parents of the girl, did not agree with their relationship. So she had to secretly agree to meet him on the plateau, but she inadvertently slipped and fell into the Danube river. She was dressed in yellow, then as she rolled down the mountainside and the rocks tore pieces of her dress. Where the rags landed, grew a flower - a yellow tulip. That is why the tulip is found on all the terraces, along the Danube riverside.[16]
Related Research Articles
Serbia is a small country situated at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the far southern edges of the Pannonian Plain and the central Balkans. It shares borders with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Romania. Serbia shares a contested border with Albania as it doesn't recognise the independence of Kosovo. Serbia is landlocked, though it is able to access the Adriatic Sea through Montenegro and inland Europe and the Black Sea via the Danube.
The Iron Gates is a gorge on the river Danube. It forms part of the boundary between Serbia and Romania (north). In the broad sense it encompasses a route of 134 km (83 mi); in the narrow sense it only encompasses the last barrier on this route, just beyond the Romanian city of Orșova, that contains two hydroelectric dams, with two power stations, Iron Gate I Hydroelectric Power Station and Iron Gate II Hydroelectric Power Station.
Đerdap National Park stretches along the right bank of the Danube River from the Golubac Fortress to the dam near Novi Sip, Serbia. It was established in 1974 and spreads on 63,786.5 ha. The park management office is in the town of Donji Milanovac on the Danube. Across the river is the Parcul Natural Porțile de Fier in Romania.
Kladovo is a town and municipality located in the Bor District of eastern Serbia. It is situated on the right bank of the Danube river. The population of the town is 8,913, while the population of the municipality is 20,635.
The Nera is a 124-kilometre-long (77-mile) river running through Romania and Serbia. It is a left tributary of the Danube, which it joins near Banatska Palanka. Its length is 143 km (89 mi) and its basin size is 1,380 km2 (530 sq mi). The Nera is not navigable.
Donji Milanovac is a town in eastern Serbia. It is situated in the Majdanpek municipality, in the Bor District. It is located on the right bank of Lake Đerdap on the Danube. The population of the town is 2,410 people. Its name means "Lower Milanovac".
Tulipa clusiana, the lady tulip, is an Asian species of tulip native to Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan and the western Himalayas. It is widely cultivated as an ornamental and is reportedly naturalized in France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Tunisia, Greece, and Turkey.
The Iron Gate I Hydroelectric Power Station is the largest dam on the Danube river and one of the largest hydro power plants in Europe. It is located on the Iron Gate gorge, between Romania and Serbia.
The Iron Gate II is a large dam on the Danube River, between Romania and Serbia.
The Iron Gates Natural Park is a 115,666-hectare (285,820-acre) natural park located in southwestern Romania. It includes the Romanian part of the Iron Gate of the Danube River, and stretches along the left bank of the river in the counties of Caraș-Severin and Mehedinți. Across the river is the Đerdap national park in Serbia.
Tulips are spring-blooming perennial herbaceous bulbiferous geophytes in the Tulipa genus. Their flowers are usually large, showy, and brightly coloured, generally red, orange, pink, yellow, or white. They often have a different coloured blotch at the base of the tepals, internally. Because of a degree of variability within the populations and a long history of cultivation, classification has been complex and controversial. The tulip is a member of the lily family, Liliaceae, along with 14 other genera, where it is most closely related to Amana, Erythronium, and Gagea in the tribe Lilieae.
Tulipa armena is a species of flowering plant in the Liliaceae family. It is referred to by the common name Armenian tulip, and is native to the historical Armenian Highlands as the name implies; current regions of Armenia, modern day Turkey, Iran, South Caucasus, and Azerbaijan.
Tulipa saxatilis is a Greek and Turkish species of plant in the genus Tulipa of the family Liliaceae.
Tulipa humilis is a species of flowering plant in the lily family, found in Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Turkey, Iran, and the North Caucasus region of Russia. The flowers are pink with yellow centers. Its preferred habitat are rocky mountain slopes. It is known by several other names in horticulture.
Tulipa agenensis is a species of flowering plant in the family Liliaceae. It is native to Turkey, Iran, Cyprus, the Aegean Islands, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, and naturalized in the central and western Mediterranean.
The taxonomy of Tulipa places the genus in the family Liliaceae, and subdivides it as four subgenera, and comprises about 75 species.
Tulipa fosteriana is a species of tulip, native to the Pamir Mountains and nearby areas of Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Tulipa kaufmanniana, the water lily tulip, is a species of tulip native to Central Asia.
Tulipa praestans is a species of tulip native to the mountains of Tajikistan. Many well known cultivars have been formed from the original plant.
↑ Kliment, J., Turis, P. & Janiová, M. (2016). Taxa of vascular plants endemic to the Carpathian Mts Preslia. Casopsi Ceské Botanické Spolecnosti 88: 19-76.
1 2 3 Millaku, Fadil; Elelzaj, Isa; Berisha, Naim (2018). "Sympatric area and ecology of some Tulipa species in the West Balkan Peninsula". Thaiszia - J. Bot., Košice. 28 (1): 035–047.
↑ HURDU, Bogdan Iuliu; PUȘCAȘ, Mihai; TURTUREANU, Pavel Dan; NIKETIĆ, Marjan; COLDEA, Gheorghe; ZIMMERMANN, Niklaus (2012). "Patterns of Plant Endemism In The Romanian Carpathians (South-Eastern Carpathians)". Contribuţii Botanice. XLVII: 25–38.
↑ Sabovljevic, Marko (2006). "Contribution to the bryophyte flora of the Djerdap National Park (E. Serbia)". Phytologia Balcanica. 12 (1): 51–54.
↑ Aleksandra Mijalković (18 June 2017), "O očuvanju naše prirodne baštine: najbolja zaštita u naconalnim parkovima", Politika-Magazin (in Serbian), pp.3–6
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