Ten days
Botanical & archaeological Anatolia
Endemic flora from Colchicum to Fritillary, set against Troy, Ephesus and the quieter ruins between them.
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Anatolia · Botany · Archaeology
The wildflowers of Anatolia, walked and named
Private botanical journeys through Türkiye with Yasemin Konuralp — field guide author, mountain guide, and photographer of the flora she has spent three decades learning.
11,466
plant species in Türkiye
3,649
of them endemic
29
years leading tours since 1997
553
bulbous plants in the field guide
Journeys
Botany at the pace of the field
Every journey is private and written for the people travelling. Itineraries are quoted per trip, never from a catalogue.
Spring
Bulbs of the Mediterranean mountains
The ranges behind Antalya as the snow leaves them — orchids, crocus and cyclamen at their short peak.
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Tailor-made
Field trips for botanists
Survey-paced days for photographers, growers and specialists — small groups, long stops, notebooks open.
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Yasemin Konuralp — Antalya, Türkiye
A letter
Dear friends,
My name is Yasemin Konuralp and I live in Antalya. I spend my time hiking, trekking and photographing. Leading tours since 1997, I grew interested in the wildflowers of Anatolia and began, slowly, to learn them.
Over the years that became considerable knowledge of the country’s endemic flora, and a large collection of photographs. In April 2013 I published my first field guide, Wildflowers of Turkey, Volume I — Bulbous Plants.
The book was written for a reason. Native plant species in Anatolia — especially the endemics — are disappearing, and a field guide in the hands of travellers and of local people is one way to slow that. I believe people protect a flora once they know it.
If you would like to spend a holiday on a botanical tour, combined with visits to the archaeological sites of Türkiye, write to me and ask for a detailed itinerary. I would gladly be your field guide.
Yasemin Konuralp
Two plant species new to the flora of Türkiye, found on her own surveys, carry her name.
Guiding cultural, adventure and botanical tours in Türkiye since 1997.
Why it matters
A century of bulb hunting
Türkiye holds the richest variety of bulbs in the world — orchid, fritillary, crocus, colchicum, cyclamen. That wealth has also made it a quarry.
At the turn of the twentieth century commercial collectors from Europe combed the hillsides of Anatolia, paying local people to help. Mass collecting had in fact begun as early as the seventeenth century. Some endemics are already lost; others are endangered.
Galanthus elwesii was about to vanish. Botanists and naturalists persuaded people to grow the bulbs in their gardens instead of lifting them from the wild — and the colonies came back.
Field notes
What we go out to find
Photographs from three decades of surveys — all made in the field, in their own habitats.
The field guide
Wildflowers of Turkey, Volume I — Bulbous Plants
L. Yasemin Konuralp. Descriptions and photographs of 553 bulbous plants — true bulbs, corms, rhizomes and tubers — with drawings, and Latin, English and Turkish names throughout.
- Extent
- 504 pages, printed in seven colours (CMYKOGB)
- Contents
- 553 species from 37 families · 860 photographs · 190 drawings
- Format
- Paperback, stitched, with jacket · 14 × 24 × 2.5 cm
- Published
- April 2013, Kayseri, Türkiye
- ISBN
- 978-605-89610-6-7
- Price
- 37 USD + 13 USD shipping worldwide
Before you write
Questions we are asked
When is the best time to see wildflowers in Türkiye?
The bulbous flora runs from late winter into spring. The coastal mountains behind Antalya peak in March and April; the higher ranges follow in May and June. Colchicum flowers in autumn.
How rich is the flora of Türkiye?
Türkiye has 11,466 plant species, of which 3,649 are endemic, and the richest variety of bulbs in the world — orchid, fritillary, crocus, colchicum and cyclamen among them.
Are the journeys private?
Yes. Each one is written for the people travelling and quoted per trip — small groups, long stops, no fixed departures to fill.
Do I need to be a botanist?
No. The days suit specialists, photographers and growers as readily as travellers who simply like walking among flowers and ruins.
Can the flora be combined with archaeology?
That is the usual shape of a journey here — Troy, Ephesus and the quieter sites sit in the same landscapes as the plants.
How do I order the field guide?
Write through the form below. The book is 37 USD plus 13 USD shipping anywhere in the world.
Enquire
A journey begins with a conversation
Tell me roughly when you would like to travel and what you hope to see. Write through the form and I will reply with a detailed itinerary. Journeys are quoted privately, per trip.
- Runner Tourism · Antalya, Türkiye
Düzlerçamı Mahallesi 6959. Sokak No: 3, 07190 Antalya - Telephone · +90 242 237 98 42 · +90 542 413 12 93
- Enquiries are taken through the form beside this — it reaches me directly.
- runnertourism.com
- Instagram · @wildflowertours
No prices are published. Every itinerary is written for the people travelling.