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A tulip species found only in Türkiye's Amasya province and once thought extinct in the wild has been found again, 130 years after it was last seen. This gives botanists and conservationists a rare chance to study and protect a plant many believed was lost from its home.
The species, called Tulipa sprengeri and often known as the "Lost Amasya Tulip," was first collected in 1892 and last seen in the wild in 1896.
Overharvesting its bulbs caused the flower to vanish from Anatolia only four years after scientists first described it. For decades, many local and foreign researchers searched the area for any sign of it, but no one found it.
The tulip was not found by a research team, but by Ercan Eftelioglu, a nature lover from Amasya. While exploring a rural area, he noticed a tulip he did not recognize. He took photos and collected two samples, then gave them to botanists to identify.
"I am always searching in nature," Eftelioglu said. "I noticed a tulip that looked very similar to the lost Amasya tulip. We passed them on to our botanist colleagues, who confirmed that they were the lost Amasya tulips. Our professors also came and saw it on site."
Professor Ismail Eker from Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal University and Salih Sercan Kanoglu, who leads the Nezahat Gokyigit Botanical Garden in Istanbul, visited the site to see the plants themselves. They confirmed it was the long-lost species.
Eker told reporters he was one of many researchers who had searched for the tulip over the years. "Today is an important day,' he said. 'We thought this plant was lost, but 130 years later, we have seen that it has not disappeared from Amasya. It is alive, though its habitat is very limited. Going forward, we will work to protect and preserve it."
Although it disappeared from its native Anatolia, Tulipa sprengeri was still grown in many European botanical gardens during the 20th century. A photo of the plant was even featured on the cover of the well-known reference book "List of Plants of Türkiye," showing its symbolic value to the country's natural heritage, even as it vanished from Turkish soil.
This tulip is special because it blooms later than other tulips, in late May and early June. It has a slim, bright red-orange flower that grows above long, narrow, shiny green leaves.
Experts say the tulip's habitat is very limited, so it needs urgent protection. Authorities plan to give the tulip legal protection while they decide on the next steps. Finding the plant again could lead to bigger conservation and reintroduction efforts in Amasya province.
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