Collection of bulbous geophytes
The Tashkent center was established within the framework of the “GLOBAL ALLIUM GARDEN International Program for the Conservation of Onion Species”. This program was initially planned to be implemented within the framework of international cooperation between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the People's Republic of China, in particular, on the basis of scientific research conducted within the framework of botanical research. Initially, the first center of the international onion garden was established in 2017 in the Kunming Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Tashkent center was created in the Botanical Garden in 2018.
- The Tashkent center of the Uzbek-Chinese onion garden (Global Allium Garden Tashkent center) was established in the Tashkent Botanical Garden under the Institute of Botany of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan in 2018. The onion garden was established on the initiative of the Director of the Institute of Botany of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan, Academician K.Sh. Tojibayev, and scientific staff of the Kunming Botanical Garden and the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The total area of the initially created onion garden was 0.5 hectares, and the collection includes not only plants belonging to the Onion family of the flora of Uzbekistan, but also geophyte plants of our flora - tulips, daffodils and hyacinths. The Uzbek-Chinese onion garden serves as one of the first projects in bringing scientific cooperation between the two countries to new heights.
- There are more than 130 species of onions in the flora of Uzbekistan, among which ornamental, medicinal, rare and endemic species stand out for their uniqueness. Currently, more than 100 species belonging to the flora of Central Asia, China, Iran, the Caucasus and the Mediterranean are being cultivated in the Onion Garden.
- In 2019, the Onion Garden was relocated to a new area. The uniquely designed Allium Garden at the entrance to the Tashkent Botanical Garden attracts hundreds of visitors every day during the flowering season. Every year in April and May, this beautiful site hosts a season opening ceremony. The event is attended by guests from the Academies of Sciences of Uzbekistan and China, various universities, and the media. In addition to species belonging to the Flora, the new onion garden also has a small collection of onion varieties consumed in Uzbekistan, and these sites attract the attention of not only scientists, but also specialists working with agricultural and food products.
- About 2,000 specimens of 27 local species of Allium, 13 specimens of 5 species imported from the People's Republic of China (Allium gigantheum, A. gladiator, A. summer drummer, A. tuberosum, A. ambassador) and more than 1,600 specimens of 12 varieties of cultivated onions, as well as 400 specimens of 27 onion species whose species name is not specified (sp.) have been planted in this established area.
- The collection of bulbous geophytes organized in the Tashkent Botanical Garden contains specimens of 14 species of representatives of the Iris genus, 4 of which are species included in the "Red Book" of the Republic of Uzbekistan, 10 of which are endemic to the corresponding ranges, and 4 of which are endemic species of the flora of Uzbekistan.
- The established collection area contains samples of 5 species of the Eremurus genus, 1 of which (Eremurus lactiflorus O. Fedtsch.) is included in the "Red Book" of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Although representatives of this genus are not included in the list of bulbous geophytes, it is planned to enrich the collection, create a living collection of rare, endemic and Red Book species of this genus, and use it as a base for future scientific research, as part of the project, to create a living collection of representatives of this genus and conduct scientific research on the species of the genus
- Currently, the established collection area contains 16 species of the Tulipa genus, 7 of which are species included in the "Red Book" of the Republic of Uzbekistan, 4 of which are endemic to the flora of Uzbekistan, and 9 of which are endemic to the corresponding ranges.
- 101 specimens of 305 species belonging to 10 genera of the Colchicaceae, Liliaceae, Amaryllidaceae, Iridaceae, and Ixioliriaceae families in the flora of Uzbekistan have been planted in the collection area.
