posted by kind permission from Kok van Herk
Androsace graceae "What is shown below, is the very first photograph ever made of
Androsace graceae. The picture was taken 11 June 2012 on the Shika Shan, Zhongdian, Yunnan, China. Only two or three plants were found at a very remote site. It was on an earthy stabilized scree at about 4300 m. I was there with my friend Peter Steiger. The species has very typical rounded leaves with fine hairs at the margin.
Except from the original gathering at the Mekong-Yangtze divide, and a description in 1915, practically nothing is known of this species. It was discovered and described by George Forrest, and commemorates his sister, Grace. Two herbarium sheets are deposited at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (
http://eol.org/data_objects/15999787). Three later records are known: from 1932, 1938 and 1939. It is unclear if it has ever been found again between 1939 and 2012. This picture shows that it's not extinct."
I felt that the Forrest connection with the original finding of this lovely plant would be of interest here. Kok would be most interested to learn of anything else that folk may know of this plant in the wild.
