Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum

General Subjects => Alpines => Topic started by: Katherine J on July 04, 2011, 10:15:36 AM

Title: White Eritrichium nanum on the Padon!!!
Post by: Katherine J on July 04, 2011, 10:15:36 AM
Hello dear Friends,
I am a rare plant nowadays on the Forums, but now I MUST tell you some news :)
About two weeks ago rambling on the black rocks of the Padon ridge, Dolomites, we found a white Eritrichium nanum!
Here you can see it. It was on an awful place above a huge precipice, so only my silly husband could reach it so close to make this pic without zooming.
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Not too far from this place we found also Androsace helvetica on those volcanic rocks! I had read in Farrer's book about the Dolomites that he also found A. helvetica on the Padon.

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Title: Re: White Eritrichium nanum on the Padon!!!
Post by: Magnar on July 04, 2011, 10:22:39 AM
Thanks for sharing these wonderful pics,, very interesting  :)
Title: Re: White Eritrichium nanum on the Padon!!!
Post by: ranunculus on July 04, 2011, 10:41:04 AM
Hi Katherine,
You are too rare a flower on the forum these days ... I totally agree!

Your discoveries on the Padon Ridge are doubly exciting as we will (hopefully) be near that very same ridge next week.
The eritrichium should hold it's flowers until then and the androsaces look set for a fortnight at least.

To those of you with this pleasure still to come the Padon Ridge is in a magnificent setting boasting a host of beautiful high-level alpines.
Title: Re: White Eritrichium nanum on the Padon!!!
Post by: Katherine J on July 04, 2011, 10:47:57 AM
Cliff I wish you a very nice time and many such discoveries!
Title: Re: White Eritrichium nanum on the Padon!!!
Post by: Maggi Young on July 04, 2011, 11:03:33 AM
Kata, we miss you very much when you are not here but we can forgive you when you return with such treasures!  :-*

How exciting to find these plants... the photos are excellent, as ever.

Here's hoping that Cliff doesn't make too close a connection with his namesake cliff if he finds the white gem to photograph :o :-X
Title: Re: White Eritrichium nanum on the Padon!!!
Post by: ranunculus on July 04, 2011, 11:09:48 AM
Here's hoping that Cliff doesn't make too close a connection with his namesake cliff if he finds the white gem to photograph :o :-X

I could always dangle Sue over the edge with aperture instructions!!!   :D
Title: Re: White Eritrichium nanum on the Padon!!!
Post by: Katherine J on July 04, 2011, 11:12:17 AM
Cliff, I made a picture especially for you:
Title: Re: White Eritrichium nanum on the Padon!!!
Post by: ranunculus on July 04, 2011, 11:28:16 AM
So many thanks Kata,
I know the spot very well and will strive to get up there (with Sue pushing from behind)!  ;D

I was about to post the following image to give folks an idea of the grandeur of the place ... even on an overcast day.

Were the Ranunculus glacialis in bloom yet ... I fear we may be too late this year?
Title: Re: White Eritrichium nanum on the Padon!!!
Post by: Katherine J on July 04, 2011, 11:50:47 AM
It was in bloom in some places, but I don't think it will be over by then. On the southern slopes everything was maybe a little earlier then usual, but on the north sides many flowers were still sleeping or just awaking.
Title: Re: White Eritrichium nanum on the Padon!!!
Post by: David Nicholson on July 04, 2011, 08:20:25 PM
......It was on an awful place above a huge precipice..............

I await the close up Cliff, and do be careful and get Mrs B to check the policies befor you go ;D
Title: Re: White Eritrichium nanum on the Padon!!!
Post by: ranunculus on July 04, 2011, 08:33:02 PM
......It was on an awful place above a huge precipice..............

I await the close up Cliff, and do be careful and get Mrs B to check the policies befor you go ;D

The camera's probably covered!   ;D
Title: Re: White Eritrichium nanum on the Padon!!!
Post by: David Nicholson on July 04, 2011, 08:40:29 PM
 ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: White Eritrichium nanum on the Padon!!!
Post by: Lesley Cox on July 04, 2011, 10:41:36 PM
Such magnificent mountain country. In NZ, such a scene as Cliff's would be many miles from anywhere, remote and almost inaccessible yet in his picture, there is a little village nestled in the folds of the hills.
Title: Re: White Eritrichium nanum on the Padon!!!
Post by: ranunculus on July 04, 2011, 11:39:18 PM
Such magnificent mountain country. In NZ, such a scene as Cliff's would be many miles from anywhere, remote and almost inaccessible yet in his picture, there is a little village nestled in the folds of the hills.

Quite right Lesley, in the picture you can make out the hairpin intense Pordoi Pass that carries many thousands of cars, coaches, motor cycles and (especially) bikes throughout the year.  There are hotels, restaurants, 'gift' (!) shops and enormous car parks at the top of the pass and mighty cable cars that transport thousands to the heights.   Winter sees massed skiing and all that that entails.

It is possible to escape the hordes and find beautiful high alpines in abundance.
Title: Re: White Eritrichium nanum on the Padon!!!
Post by: Julia on July 05, 2011, 05:34:33 PM
Hi you must of been in the Dolomite's when the SRGC group were out there.
But you obviously were more adventurous then we were as none of use made it up on the side of the Pordoi ridge. Our President Liz Mills walked or should I say ran along the top with 2 others who are all very experienced orienteerers but missed lots of flowers.
I will post some pic'tures of our trip this week.
Title: Re: White Eritrichium nanum on the Padon!!!
Post by: Katherine J on July 06, 2011, 07:34:56 AM
Julia,
I think next time we go I will announce it on the Forum. There are many members who visit the Dolomites occasionally, it would be nice to meet there some.
I'm really sorry I did not know about you.
Title: Re: White Eritrichium nanum on the Padon!!!
Post by: ranunculus on July 06, 2011, 07:40:44 AM
That is very good idea Kata ... you would be quite surprised by just how many members get out there on a regular basis.
Title: Re: White Eritrichium nanum on the Padon!!!
Post by: astragalus on July 06, 2011, 10:44:38 AM
Katherine, your pictures are intriguing.  We were there last week and it was early although Ranunculus glacialis was in bloom.  I've seen Androsace alpina there often but never Androsace helvetica.  What a wonderful find.  It is one of our favorite places to go. 
Title: Re: White Eritrichium nanum on the Padon!!!
Post by: Katherine J on July 06, 2011, 10:58:57 AM
We were there last week

It would have been a pleasure for me to meet you Anne, I'm an admirer of your garden. Maybe some other time.
Title: Re: White Eritrichium nanum on the Padon!!!
Post by: astragalus on July 07, 2011, 03:15:28 PM
Thank you, Katherine.  Perhaps next year?
This won't compare to your pictures, but one of our finds this year was a white Silene acaulis.  I never saw one before.  You can see by the number of buds that it was still early, but to try and find it again would be difficult.
Title: Re: White Eritrichium nanum on the Padon!!!
Post by: Katherine J on July 07, 2011, 03:25:47 PM
Wow!!! Neither I saw one in the field yet!

We go every year in the Dolomites, there are chances still to meet :)
Title: Re: White Eritrichium nanum on the Padon!!!
Post by: astragalus on July 07, 2011, 04:45:27 PM
We go every year, too.  I hope we can meet sometime.  Here's an overall view of the silene showing how many buds there are.
Title: Re: White Eritrichium nanum on the Padon!!!
Post by: Maggi Young on July 07, 2011, 05:12:33 PM
That is indeed a fine white form, Anne. Never seen such a one.  The flowers look to be a good size and the foliage is in tip-top health....well done for finding it.... and thank heavens there were batteries in your camera  :o :D
Title: Re: White Eritrichium nanum on the Padon!!!
Post by: astragalus on July 07, 2011, 06:02:29 PM
Maggi, I've learned to carry an extra, fully charged battery!
Title: Re: White Eritrichium nanum on the Padon!!!
Post by: Katherine J on July 07, 2011, 06:09:43 PM
Was it on Padon too? (I mean the Silene, not the batteries  ;D)
Title: Re: White Eritrichium nanum on the Padon!!!
Post by: astragalus on July 07, 2011, 10:07:34 PM
No, it was at Vallon (in Corvara), in the sunken meadow behind the Vallon lift.  The meadow is very large and rocky and extends almost to the Rifuggio Franz Kostner.  We wandered the whole meadow and on the edges as it rose to the cliffs.  It was probably on one of the raised edges.
Title: Re: White Eritrichium nanum on the Padon!!!
Post by: Lesley Cox on July 07, 2011, 10:25:52 PM
The white Silene sometimes turns up in commercial catalogues and mine came from a batch of seed just labelled Silene acaulis, AGS I think, maybe 20 years ago. I find it a little harder to keep in good health than the pink. The one pictures in the wild is in perfect condition even though quite a large and therefore a reasonably mature plant.
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