Tulips are very beautiful flowers, which draw attention not only of botanists and ecologists, but of many different peoples by diversity of forms and colors every spring. Sometimes, such attention may be in excess especially among scientists. History of study of tulips in Ukrainian nature flora is confirmation of it. From 3 till 9 species of genus Tulipa L. were given for modern territory of Ukraine during last 135 years. Therefore, we solved to begin the article with the short review of these interesting investigations.

But, all very interesting events in studies of tulips in Ukraine were started with publication of article of V. Taliev "Process of speciation in genus Tulipa" [1931]. Author was assured that T. sylvestris no grow in Ukraine; because it is mediterranean species, which is naturalized in west, north and central regions of Europe. V. Taliev denied presence of T. biflora also, but he reported about T. biebersteiniana Schult. et Schult. f. for Ukrainian territory. Besides, V. Taliev no supported the description of the forest form of T. biebersteiniana as the new species by J. Paczoski; the basic argument of V. Taliev – the ecological factor is not the main thing in system of criteria of species.

In 1935, T. schrenkii, T. biebersteiniana, T. biflora, T. callieri, T. koktebelica were given in "Flora of USSR" [VVEDENSKIY, 1935] for modern territory of Ukraine. Results of new taxonomy researches of tulips appear in Ukraine factually in this period.

The complex structure of T. biebersteiniana was noted by I. Zoz and M. Klokov [1936] and they on basis of differences in morphology of flowers, spatial condition of bulbs in soil and other indications describe 4 new species and 3 subspecies from T. biebersteiniana.

At present, majority of Ukrainian botanists partly ignore data which were obtaining S. Cherepanov and E. Mordak and continue using Zoz and Klokov’s species or has neutral position [MOSYAKIN, FEDORONCHUK, 1999].

I study tulips of Ukrainian flora from 2002. Herbariums of the M.G. Kholodny Institute of Botany of NAS of Ukraine (KW), the M.M. Grishko National Botanical Garden of NAS of Ukraine (KWHA), the O.V. Fomin Botanical Garden of the Taras Schevchenko National University of Kyiv (KWHU), the Donets’k Botanical Garden of NAS of Ukraine (DNZ), the Nikita Botanical Garden (YALT), the V.N. Karasin Kharkiv National University (CWN), the Kherson State Univesity (KHER), the Kherson Natural Museum (KHEM), the Crimea State Agrarian University (CSAU), the I.I. Mechnykov Odesa National University (MSUD), the South Federal University (RV), Botanical Garden of the South Federal University (RWHA) and many literature data about local floras of different regions of Ukraine were processed during of this period. Also, I carried out about ten field expeditions in different natural regions of Steppe and Forest-Steppe zones of Ukraine. What I know in result of it about Ukrainian tulips?

Species of genus Tulipa in natural flora of Ukraine belong to sections Tulipa and Eriostemones (Boiss.) Engl. T. schrenkii is an only representative of section Tulipa in flora of the country. This species is distributed in Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kherson, Dnipropetrovs’k, Zaporizhzhya, Donets’k, Lugans’k regions and in steppe part of Crimea peninsula. Habitats of the species are steppe, stone, limestone, chalk places and slopes. Though, the doubt isn’t about the species independents of his, contradictions about correctness of the name of the plant exist. E. Mordak [1990] on basis of analysis of historical facts and documents proved that T. schrenkii and T. gesneriana L. are synonyms. Because, K. Linnaeus described cultivated plants and E. Regel described natural plants of an only species. However, K. Linnaeus was the first in this description; therefore plant name given by him according the Codex of Botanical Nomenclature is priority. I agree with such opinion.