LILIES - RHS Lily Group

Above, the landscape of the Khoper River in the Nekhaevsky District, seen from the
chalk hills of the right bank looking towards the floodland.
Peculiarities of the flora
The flora of this territory is very rich – more than 1,300 species. There are many
decorative plants among them that light up the landscape around the Khoper
river throughout the growing season. The first to flower in early spring are the
tulips (Tulipa schrenkii and T. biebersteiniana) and other bulbs: Scilla sibirica,
Bellevalia speciosa, Fritillaria ruthenica, Bulbocodium versicolor. Tulips are a
characteristic feature of the true virgin steppes, but they are becoming very rare
plants, and Shrenk’s tulip has been included in the Red Data Book of Russia. It
was this tulip which served as a base for numerous Dutch cultivars, but in nature
its populations have been sharply decreasing. Future generations may never see
the picturesque red-yellow living carpets of wild tulips in spring.
Grasses such as Stipa capillata, S. lessingiana, S. pennata, S. dasyphylla,
S. pulcherrima make irridescent waves in the wind and some higly decorative
and rare species, such as pink Paeonia tenuifolia and yellow Adonis wolgensis
survive. Phlomis pungens, Limonium latifolium, Goniolimon tataricum and
Gypsophila paniculata are present and in autumn their seed is distributed across
the steppe by the wind. There are many subshrubs and dwarf subshrubs in the
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