Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => Travel / Places to Visit => Topic started by: arisaema on July 02, 2011, 10:45:26 AM
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As some of you may already know I'm just back from two weeks of "botanizing" in Yunnan with Bjarne, another forumist from Norway. It was a bit of an impulse trip with very little planning, I think we decided on the trip in late April, but a busy schedule and a last minute change of province ment we didn't really get anything planned till the very last week before we took off.
Looking back the lack of planning didn't really mater, China is an incredibly easy and welcoming country to travel in, and Yunnan is so rich in plants that you can't really go wrong no matter where you are! (Well, unless you're on a wild goose chase hoping to find Meconopsis betonicifolia on the road between Lijiang and Jianchuan - that particular road has absolutely nothing of interest, the specific location must be further south between Jianchuan and Dali where the road passes over the CangShan range.)
If there's any interest I'll upload a few pictures of a few of the plants we spotted, Bjarne is a far better photographer than me, so hopefully he'll join in with his pictures.
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Great, great interest Arisaema ! ;D Be sure of it ;)
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ShikaShan, Zhongdian - at the summit
ShikaShan is a limestone mountain right next to Zhongdian/Shangri-La, developed for tourism and complete with a ropeway, wooden walkways, fences and (annoyingly) several guards to keep you from straying off the path, starting landslides or tumbling off cliffs. We made sure to follow the rules, and always kept our, umm, toes soundly planted on the right side of the fence ;)
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ooo wah I don't think I would have trusted that fence - seems a loooooooog way down. The things that gardeners/photographers do to get that plant.
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The summit of Shika Shan is some 4300m above sea level, Zhongdian/Shangri-La town by comparison lies at about 3200m. Corydalis pachycentra grew everywhere it had enough moisture, but there was also another taller, yellow-flowered species.
Anyone know the names of the legumes?
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Getting a decent picture of the Paraquilegia required quite a bit of the "fence acrobatics" pictured above... ;D Is this P. microphylla or P. anemonoides?
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Super photos.... can't help feeling that the plants are being kept safe from all sorts of dangers by the fences... even if that is making life frustrating for the photographers!
One only has to see the trampled corpses of plants beside open paths in some mountain paths to realise the damage that can be caused by the careless feet of many tourists...... :P
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An Aletris, a Pedicularis, a Potentilla and a few crucifers.
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The summit had plenty of Primula species, carpets of P. nanobella, plenty of P. amethystina, a lot of a species with affinities to apoclita and a few scattered P. chionantha (ssp. sinopurpurea?).
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I enjoy your photos from Yunnan very much. More, please :).
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The legum. could be Chesneya nubigena... ("Plants of Himalaya and chinese mountains" by Cedric Basset)
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FOC link for the Chesneya - http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=242312402 I do like these "peas" though I cannot tell one from another, wherever it comes from. :-[
The Aletris is new to me so I found that in FOC too.... quite a few Chinese species, I discover....
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=100995
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My impulse trips are always Europe. Now I know that it is possible to include China....
Will PM to get more details of how you arranged Hotels/travel etc, unless you want to post this helpful info here on the Forum.
My trip to Yunnan was in 1996 and it is a place I would like to return to.
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Will PM to get more details of how you arranged Hotels/travel etc, unless you want to post this helpful info here on the Forum.
We did it the "backpacker-way", arranging everything as we arrived... I used Lonely Planet China's Southwest (http://www.amazon.com/Chinas-Southwest-Lonely-Planet-Regional/dp/1741041856/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1309621797&sr=8-1) as a rough guide, picked locations from the gallery of Harry Jans (http://www.jansalpines.com/gallery/main.php) and off the Greentours intineraries, and chose to stay in western-oriented backpacker hostels/guesthouses (they have staff fluent in English and can always arrange cheap local drivers, the only down-side is that they tend to be a bit noisier than your standard business hotel).
If you want pointers on where to stay or where to go just drop me a PM, I've spent some three months vacationing in China, mostly Yunnan and Sichuan :)
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The legum. could be Chesneya nubigena... ("Plants of Himalaya and chinese mountains" by Cedric Basset)
Thanks, that looks close, but checking thru Harry Jans' gallery there's also Spongiocarpella yunnanensis, which also looks close :P Like Maggi, I have a hard time telling one yellow pea from the other...
More pics coming up later, hoping Bjarne will post some of his before we move on to the next location :)
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The legum. could be Chesneya nubigena... ("Plants of Himalaya and chinese mountains" by Cedric Basset)
Thanks, that looks close, but checking thru Harry Jans' gallery there's also Spongiocarpella yunnanensis, which also looks close :P Like Maggi, I have a hard time telling one yellow pea from the other...
From IPNI:
Leguminosae Spongiocarpella yunnanensis Yakovlev
Bot. Zhurn. (Moscow & Leningrad) 72(2): 256. 1987
72(2): 256 1987
Distribution: China.
basionym of:Leguminosae Chesneya yunnanensis (Yakovlev) Z.G.Qian Acta Bot. Yunnan. 20(4): 400. 1998
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More pics coming up later, hoping Bjarne will post some of his before we move on to the next location :)
Yes, we hope so too.... pretty please Bjarne!
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Sorry but it is not in my book ; I can't help you more...
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Getting a decent picture of the Paraquilegia required quite a bit of the "fence acrobatics" pictured above... ;D Is this P. microphylla or P. anemonoides?
I'm feeling lumpy... is there any difference? :-\
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Back to the peas.... yellow and purple versions....
Spongiocarpella yunnanensis pix from Harry
http://www.jansalpines.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=18584&g2_imageViewsIndex=1
http://www.jansalpines.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=14764
Harry's pix of the purple version, S. purpurea ( which Harry has written as S. pupurea)
http://www.jansalpines.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=18926
http://www.jansalpines.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=18887
But: Harry's purple pea is not the one shown in this thread... that one has nice red stalks see « Reply #4 on: Today at 11:53:07 AM » pic :copy of exDSC_0173.jpg..... we need another name if I am to rest easy..... :-X
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But: Harry's purple pea is not the one shown in this thread... that one has nice red stalks see « Reply #4 on: Today at 11:53:07 AM » pic :copy of exDSC_0173.jpg..... we need another name if I am to rest easy..... :-X
I'm afraid that one is likely to be an Astragalus, and you probably won't rest easy, there are 400 of them just in China :P
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Yes, I thought Astragalus...... only 400 in China, eh? Well, this may take some time... where are the experts when you need them?
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A few more pics from the summit:
Veratrilla baillonii may not be everyone's cup of 茶, but I like it!
A couple of Rhododendrons were still in flower, the white one looks close to R. primuliflorum and only grew on steep slopes and cliff edges, presumably places the yaks couldn't reach it... (Grazing yaks sort of negate the need for those wooden walkways... ::) )
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The summit had a pale-flowered form of Anemone trullifolia, or is it A. coelestina? The blue form grew further down at the base of the mountain.
Also numerous: Oxygraphis glacialis. A week earlier and I suspect the entire summit would have been covered in yellow stars, in late June only those shaded by the wooden walk-way remained in flower.
Lastly, a lone Meconopsis. I had hoped to find M. pseudovenusta growing there, but judging by the foliage this has to be M. impedita? IMO it's a genus in bad need of a good lumping...
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Thank you for the pics.
Really interesting report with great plants and views
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You say at the beginning that Bjarne is a better photographer than you. Well he must be hot! Your pics are just great! Thanks.
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Thanks so much for these brilliant plants, wonderfully photographed.
I can imagine going to Christchurch or Invercargill "on an impulse." Maybe the English would fly to Paris, but to Yunnan? Wow, that's some impulse. ;D
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Exactly what I thought too Lesley!!!
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If you get that impulse once more and need company, please contact me!
I loved this "little" trip ;D
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Thanks for all the comments :) Bjarne told me he'd join in with some pictures tomorrow, he needed his work computer to empty the memory card. China is an amazing country with wonderful people, and Yunnan is incredibly easy for a tourist, so a trip there in spring is highly recommended!
If anyone's interested I could upload some pics from my trip last autumn?
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If anyone's interested I could upload some pics from my trip last autumn?
Yes, please! :)
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I second that. :)
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I think Arisaema have got most of the plants from the top of ShikaShan - so it's time to move down the mountain again ...
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Some of the many different species growing down the mountainside:
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and more...
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more...
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...and more :-)
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Fantastic pictures, Bjarne, thanks for posting them.
I especially love the Lilium lophophorum and the Cypripediums and the Nomocharis and ........... (all of them)
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Yes.
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Bjarne, more super plants, thank you :-*
I did not know that Rapunzel lived in China.... look at Bjarne's photo aIMG_2714 - see, you can see her hair in the trees! ::) ;) ;D
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I had hoped Bjarne would have posted more of his pics so I wouldn't have to post my out-of-focus shots of these Anemones, but I thought they were too nice to skip.
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Thanks for posting.
You bring back so many happy memories. I visited Lijiang the year after the devastating earthquake.
Did you visit the Gang Ho Ba?
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Did you visit the Gang Ho Ba?
To be completely honest I'm not entirely sure if we ever found Gang Ho Ba... :P No one we talked to in Lijiang seemed to have heard of the name, and after 4 days of exploring we decided it was time to head north. We did see Cyp margaritaceum at the river, so we must have been nearby.
Lancea tibetica
Corydalis
Stellera chamaejasme
Incarvillea forrestii
Polygonatum
Rhododendron x2
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Lonicera
Smilacina henryi (the Yunnanese plants were scentless, those from Sichuan are wonderfully fragrant)
Streptopus simplex
Iris bulleyana
Cypripedium tibeticum
Polygonatum
Aquilegia
Polygonatum trinerve
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And the last pics from this location, the "piece de resistance" I guess... A variegated orchid of some sort, presumably an Epipactis?
Also, do anyone know the names of the tiny woodland Corydalis in 0284, and the larger scree-growing species in Bjarne's 2747?
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Ah yes, Bjarne's 2747 was identified for me a few years ago by Magnus Liden as Corydalis kokiana. I took the pictures at the feet of Shika shan I think it is the same. Here a picture ...
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Thank you, that must be it! The other one might just be a straggly form of C. pachycentra, there aren't that many species to choose from in series Curviflorae...
For the search engine I'll add that the Orobanchaceae is Boschniakia himalaica, and the yellow orchid is an Oreorchis of some sort. The latter occured in massive numbers, making it the second most numerous orchid species we saw on our trip.
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That yellow Oreorchis is a treat.
In this thread: http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=6374.0 there was discussion about the germination of, shy-flowering nature and possible invasiveness of Lancea tibetica ..... you photo of it is delightful and I imagine will give hope to those trying to flower it and a feeling that even if it became a little over enthusiastic in growth that that would not be such a bad thing! ;)
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I figured it would be invasive after seeing how it behaved in a pot, but shy-flowering as well? :P It's lovely in the wild at least, I guess I should try it in the lawn instead of in a border...
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Napa Hai, Zhongdian, 3200m
Below ShikaShan, at the outskirts of Zhongdian town, lies the area called Napa Hai lake. The lake itself isn't very impressive as it dries up in summer, but the limestone hills surrounding it contain quite a few botanical treasures.
Bjarne; please join in!
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I'll start with some from the hills; including the only Epipactis we saw in flower, and, we both agreed, what has to be by far the ugliest species of the genus :-X
Also below;
Tibetia sp., maybe T. tongolensis.
Asclepiadaceae sp., maybe a Cynanchum?
A Hylotelephium? Wide-spread in the area, but this one stood out with nicer foliage.
Rosa sp.
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..it might be Rosa omeiensis pteracantha.
Any more photographs of the pale pink primula? ... (very nice colour and contrasting eye).
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I second that! And the pink Primula at the foot of Shika Shan is Primula polyneura ...
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Ok, here are some pictures from the area around Napa Hai:
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and some more
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I guess the red is Androsace bulleyana and I really like the blue above it. Any ideas? I was thinking a Dracocephalum or perhaps more likely, Scutellaria?
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Scutellaria, yes. Reminds me of the thing I grew as S. baicalensis, (but I think is not) which has similarly neatly paired flowers.
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I really liked the hybrid between Morina nepalensis ssp. delavayi and M. alba, both species grow all over the area, but the only place we saw the hybrid was at Napa Hai.
Also below;
the pure species M. delavayi
Onosma sp.
Lilium duchartrei? x2
Salvia przewalskii?
Ajuga sp.
Pedicularis sp.
Lonicera sp.
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I'd love to know what this pink-flowered shrub is?
Also below;
Deutzia
Syringa
Philadelphus
Ericaceae, maybe Vaccinium?
...and a picture showing the foliage of the Scutellaria :)
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Nice pictures again! It is Salvia przewalskii indeed which is very common in the Zhongdian area and you can find some plants in flower until November! The Syringa is S. yunnanensis and the pink shrub is a Leptodermis (Rubiaceae) but I don't know the species.
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the pink shrub is a Leptodermis (Rubiaceae) but I don't know the species.
Shot in the dark...... Leptodermis buxifolia ???
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Thanks for the IDs! The Leptodermis is one to keep an eye out for, hopefully there's some ripe seeds as well when I go back in September :) I saw the same Salvia around Kangding if I'm not mistaken, other valleys had a yellow-flowered species, but for some strange reason they never seemed to occur together.
The hills had Cypripedium flavum in addition to the C. yunnanense, but we were a week too late, they were all wilted. I was surprised by how sunny and dry they both grew, it gave me some ideas for the garden.
The last pics from the hills below;
Cyp yunnanense
Polygonatum prattii
some sort of Asteraceae
a variegated Euphorbia
Cannabis sativa, a common weed all over Yunnan
Meconopsis forrestii or racemosa or whatever it's supposed to be called at the moment?
Incarvillea zhongdianensis (presumably), it grew alongside the Cyps and proved to be a useful indicator plant.
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...and a few pictures from the lake plain, grazed by yaks and horses. There were some stunning clumps of Stellera, all yellow (and sadly not fragrant like the pink form occuring further north).
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What are the gorgeous blue and the white, in this last batch?
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I don't know about Leptodermis buxifolia, it is supposed to occur between 1100-2100m in Gansu, SW Shaanxi and Sichuan ... but if you go there again in September it might be worth to make a voucher, it would certainly be most helpful.
The acaulescent asteraceae is a Dolomiaea, it could be D. edulis which I have already seen around the Zhongdian town ...
Indeed a friend also collected Salvia przewalskii in Kangding and said it was abundant. I have seen 3 other species in Zhongdian but these were very localised with few individuals including this one, of which I saw only one plant !
http://www.flickr.com/photos/52033111@N08/5523628795/in/set-72157626766125658
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Thanks again for the ID! The big-leaved Salvia is quite something, did you collect seeds from it? I recognize several of the plants on your Flickr, I'm guessing you went up the Nujiang? Wanted to go to Dulongjiang, but wasn't able to get a permit for travelling on the road, and the rain didn't make the 5 day uphill trek seem too tempting...
The pic of S. przewaldskii below was taken in late September, near the entrance of the Mugecou lake park in Kangding. It seems to prefer disturbed, gravelly soil, a typical roadside weed along with Impatiens. (Oddly enough I can't remember seeing a single Impatiens species in Zhongdian, maybe I was too early for them?)
Do you know the name of the yellow species? It grew in huge numbers in Hailuogou, Luding.
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What are the gorgeous blue and the white, in this last batch?
Erigeron, probably? I want to say Caltha for the white one, but FoC doesn't seem to have any white-flowered species... Maybe Ranunculus can chime in on it?
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Sorry, I meant the first blue, the first picture in the batch of 5.
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Yes I was very happy to find a few seeds. If you want I can spare some. So far the two plants I obtained have green leaves but they are still juvenile so I suppose (and hope) the color and shape will change when they grow up. Unfortunately I don't know the yellow Salvia you saw in Hailuogou. I have also seen Salvia digitaloides flowering a few years ago in Zhongdian but unfortunately last Autumn I couldn't locate the plants anymore.
You guessed right, we went to the Nujiang. We wanted to explore a road that went in the mountain to the border with Myanmar, just a few kilometers north of Fugong but we were stopped by policemen who though very friendly, told us that the road was closed to foreigners. And as for you, in Gongshan we were told that the chinese government had decided to close the road to Dulongjiang valley to foreigners. Neither were we tempted to make the trek under the rain but it is a big regret now so I think I have to go there again one day :-)
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Wonderful plants, guys. Thanks for sharing.
Sorry, I meant the first blue, the first picture in the batch of 5.
Lesley, it's probably Lancea tibetica.
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arisaema, thanks for the great photos and travel notes!!
Excellent ride and interesting plants!
PS. I apologize for writing just now - in the summer, do not often visit the forum.
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Natalia, the forum is here for whenever the forumists want it! 8)
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I haven't visited much lately- so thought I'd start by catching up on some travel! This thread was timely since I've been looking at Holubec's new seed list, which has some Chinese species, not all the same ones, but some overlap, including Lancea tibetica I was thinking about .. wonder how Lori's did last winter?
Thanks for the great photos :)
We sometimes drive to Red Deer (40 miles away) on impulse.. ;D
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Hi, Cohan. Glad to see you back in circulation - I've been wondering for a while if all was well there so I hope it is. Lancea tibetica came through the winter just fine (it's herbaceous) and though it was in its second year, it didn't bloom... mildly spreading but not problematic as yet.
I collected some seeds that may be of interest to you (from discussions long ago on the NARGS forum)... if so, PM me, please, as I don't believe I have your address.
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Hi, Cohan. Glad to see you back in circulation - I've been wondering for a while if all was well there so I hope it is. Lancea tibetica came through the winter just fine (it's herbaceous) and though it was in its second year, it didn't bloom... mildly spreading but not problematic as yet.
I collected some seeds that may be of interest to you (from discussions long ago on the NARGS forum)... if so, PM me, please, as I don't believe I have your address.
Thanks, Lori :) All is well- I'll make a longer answer in some more suitable thread!- good to hear the Lancea made it through-- though non-flowering would be more concerning than spreading...lol
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I've put some more pictures from China online here: http://www.facebook.com/trilliumno (http://www.facebook.com/trilliumno)
(Also moving to Chengdu on Sunday, so will hopefully have plenty more pictures online soon! :) )
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I discovered this post now and :o :o :o :o :o :o
What a biodiversity !! It's an extraordinary travel !
Why some of this plants couldn't be in my garden ;D .It's a joke ;)
But, I hope find those plants one day in the garden store. :P
You think somes plants can be cultivated in North European climate (like Alps) ?