Memorable Topics – Threads and posts that are just too good to lose > Plant Information and Portraits

Flora of Nepal expedition 2014- Baglung, Rukum, Dolpa.

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Maggi Young:
That photo of Codonopsis purpurea is a stunner   check out the sheen and substance of that flower.
 We're all learning from this trip - talk about a win-win situation.  Thanks, Al !

ArnoldT:
Alan:

 Thanks for bringing the other side of the world to my desk top.  Any ideas what the irritant is in the nettle, Girardinia diversifolia?

alanelliott:

--- Quote from: ArnoldT on October 02, 2014, 01:13:58 PM ---Alan:

 Thanks for bringing the other side of the world to my desk top.  Any ideas what the irritant is in the nettle, Girardinia diversifolia?

--- End quote ---

Pleasure!

Honestly I dont know for Girardinia. I do know in Urtica species that Oxalic and Tartaric acids as well as histamine have been isloated from sting fluid. As they are in the same family possibly something similar would be found in the Girardinia stings.

ArnoldT:
Just love the internet.

http://www.botanical-dermatology-database.info/BotDermFolder/URTI.html

Girardinia diversifolia I. Friis ssp diversifolia
    (syns Girardinia chingiana S.S. Chien, Girardinia condensata Wedd., Girardinia heterophylla Decne., Girardinia leschenaultiana Decne., Girardinia palmata Gaudich., Girardinia zeylanica Decne., Urtica diversifolia Link, Urtica heterophylla Vahl, Urtica horrida Link)
Himalayan Nettle, Nilgiri Nettle

Girardinia zeylanica yields a fibre that has been used for making clothes, with unpleasant results, owing to the extreme difficulty experienced in entirely removing the stinging principles, even in the severe processes to which the plant is subjected in order to extract the fibre (Philip Smith 1920a).

Extracts prepared from the whole leaves of Girardinia heterophylla homogenised in acetone have been shown to contain histamine, 5-hydroxytryptamine, and acetylcholine (Saxena et al. 1964, Saxena et al. 1966), it being suggested that these substances are responsible in whole or in part for the pain, triple response and dermatitis caused by the stings of this nettle (see also Dendrocnide moroides Chew above).

[Further information available but not yet included in database]

alanelliott:
North of Suprang and where we collected Codonopsis purpurea we walked through Abies, Betula and Rhododendron forest before emerging at Deurali Pass overlooking Syalpakhe floodplain and the Uttar Ganga Nadi. That evening we camped down by the river.


Looking North to Syalpakhe


Incidentally the other day a called the more abundant Codonopsis we saw in the forest Codonposis convolvulaceae. Turns out I was telling fibs and now I've spent time identifying the Campanulaceae specimens today it is actually Codonopsis grey-wilsonii.

Patrick was also in his element collecting a couple of Pedicularis which he was pleased with.


Collecting Pedicularis klotzschii subsp lutescens in a boggy bit of ground and the attracting attention of locals


A closer look at Pedicularis klotzschii subsp lutescens inflorescence


Pedicularis hoffmeisterii another commonish species we saw and one I'll come back to another day



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