A new species, Allium sunhangiisp. nov., of the Middle Asiatic section Brevidentia F.O.Khass. & Iengal., (subgenus Allium, tribe Allioideae, Amaryllidaceae) is described. The species is a small plant from the Babatag Ridge in the Surkhandarya province of Uzbekistan. It is morphologically close to Allium brevidens Vved. in having initially dark violet filaments and three-cuspidate inner filaments, but differs by its small size and visibly unequal tepals as well as in the phylogenetic analysis based on ITS data.

In light of the ongoing biodiversity crisis, appropriate conservation strategies are urgently needed. The steadily increasing anthropogenic pressure on nature in Central Asian countries seriously threatens the fate of local species and their habitats. Here, we analyze the threats to the genus Tulipa (Liliaceae) in Uzbekistan and propose an appropriate conservation strategy based on field surveys, observations and literature review. Among the threats evidenced for these species, the most relevant are overgrazing, land use, urbanization, and fragmentation. Analysis of Tulipa distribution in Uzbekistan revealed that 27 species of Tulipa occur in 19 protected areas. Among them, the most important are Ugam-Chatkal State National Natural Park, Chatkal State Biosphere Reserve, Hissar and Surkhan State Nature Reserves, harboring 10, 9, 9 and 8 species respectively. However, 8 species (of which five species are red-listed) occur in unprotected areas. In addition to the two major conservation approaches, in situ and ex situ, civic awareness is proposed as a third important conservation component. Besides, home garden conservation is proposed as an effective tool for conservation of Tulipa that requires support from the government.

Tulipa L. (Liliaceae) comprises approximately 150 species. Although Central Asia, the main center of its diversity, includes around 66 species, detailed mapping of their distribution is limited and research on their ecoregional and phytogeographical dispersion is insufficient. This study aimed to map and analyze the distribution patterns of Tulipa across the Central Asian ecoregions and phytogeographical regions to identify potential hotspots for effective conservation efforts. The results identified the Gissaro-Alai open woodlands ecoregion, which hosts 41 species of Tulipa, as the leading hotspot ecoregion. The Ferghana Valley phytogeographical district (Afghano-Turkestan province) was found to be the most suitable habitat for 25 species of Tulipa. We also determined that altitude has a strong influence on the diversity of Tulipa and indicating increase of species richness as elevation rises. However, as elevation rises up from ca. 2000 m a.s.l. species richness also decreases slightly. An analysis of the distribution of sections of Tulipa in Central Asia revealed that around 61% of all species dwell in this area and that the sections Kolpakowskianae and Biflores, which have their greatest diversity of species, are specific to this area. The findings provide valuable insights into the distribution of Tulipa and allow for feasible recommendations and suggestions for their conservation.