Dolomites July 2009

[Martinr]

Cliff, thanks for all the pre trip advice...Gerhard, thanks for identifying the Orchid. I too saw this last week in the same area and the combined brains of several people and 3 books were stumped!

Photos to follow when work, grass cutting and a number of other little chores like downloading all the images and sorting them are completed. Look forward to some shots of 'extreme plant hunting'!

[ranunculus]

Many thanks Gerhard ... I was fascinated to find this lovely orchid in the meadows but couldn't identify it from the books available.

Welcome back Martin, hope you had a wonderful holiday ... looking forward to your images.

Very grateful to you as well Franz ... your input is always welcomed and much appreciated.  Is it quite unusual to see such a pale Gentiana terglouensis ssp. terglouensis?

[tonyg]

NIGRITELLA possibly DOLOMITENSIS

It isn`t Nigritella spp., it is xGymnigritella, an intergeneric hybrid between Gymnadenia and Nigritella, probably
xGymnigritella suaveolens ( Gymnadenia conopsea x Nigritella rhellicani )

I saw something very similar near Kleine Sheidegg in Switzerland last year.  I had a good clue that it was a hybrid as Nigritella nigra and Gymnadenia conopsea were both growing very close by.  Like Cliff I was stumped for the name even though I guessed the parentage.  What x name would you give my plant?
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=2062.180
The pictures are in reply 14 of this link (Switzerland 2008)

[Gerhard Raschun]

NIGRITELLA possibly DOLOMITENSIS

It isn`t Nigritella spp., it is xGymnigritella, an intergeneric hybrid between Gymnadenia and Nigritella, probably
xGymnigritella suaveolens ( Gymnadenia conopsea x Nigritella rhellicani )

I saw something very similar near Kleine Sheidegg in Switzerland last year.  I had a good clue that it was a hybrid as Nigritella nigra and Gymnadenia conopsea were both growing very close by.  Like Cliff I was stumped for the name even though I guessed the parentage.  What x name would you give my plant?
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=2062.180
The pictures are in reply 14 of this link (Switzerland 2008)

This is  xGymnigritella suaveolens too.
Your shown Dact. incarnata is Dact. alpestris ( majalis ssp. alpestris)
The plants in the wet flush belong to Dact. fuchsii

There aren`t Nigr. nigra in Central European, it is a plant described from Scandinavia, because it is triploid. All Nigritella spp.with black flower belong to Nigr. rhellicani (diploid) and Nigr. austriaca ( tetraploid, apomoctic).

In my opinion your shown Nigritella are Nigr. austriaca, but to see the differents it is necessary to scrutinizize it ( labellum and leaves). The time of flowering is 2 weeks earlier as in Nigr. rhellicani, little differents in shape of the infloreszenz and the colouration of the flowers.

[ranunculus]

Three more batches of images for today ...

Thlaspi rotundifolium habitat shot
Self-catering accommodation?
Gentian habitat shot
Pedicularis close-up
Potentilla nitida rubra habitat shots
Dryas and gentian
Saxifraga oppositifolia habitat shot
Thlaspi rotundifolium habitat shot

[Ragged Robin]

Cliff, I like the natural composition of Dryas and Gentian together in photo 8 - even the shadows of the stamens make one look deeper into the image 

[Maggi Young]

NIGRITELLA possibly DOLOMITENSIS

It isn`t Nigritella spp., it is xGymnigritella, an intergeneric hybrid between Gymnadenia and Nigritella, probably
xGymnigritella suaveolens ( Gymnadenia conopsea x Nigritella rhellicani )

I saw something very similar near Kleine Sheidegg in Switzerland last year.  I had a good clue that it was a hybrid as Nigritella nigra and Gymnadenia conopsea were both growing very close by.  Like Cliff I was stumped for the name even though I guessed the parentage.  What x name would you give my plant?
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=2062.180
The pictures are in reply 14 of this link (Switzerland 2008)

This is  xGymnigritella suaveolens too.
Your shown Dact. incarnata is Dact. alpestris ( majalis ssp. alpestris)
The plants in the wet flush belong to Dact. fuchsii

There aren`t Nigr. nigra in Central European, it is a plant described from Scandinavia, because it is triploid. All Nigritella spp.with black flower belong to Nigr. rhellicani (diploid) and Nigr. austriaca ( tetraploid, apomoctic).

In my opinion your shown Nigritella are Nigr. austriaca, but to see the differents it is necessary to scrutinizize it ( labellum and leaves). The time of flowering is 2 weeks earlier as in Nigr. rhellicani, little differents in shape of the infloreszenz and the colouration of the flowers.

 I have copied this information into Tony's  post 14 in the Swiss thread: http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=2062.msg50930#msg50930

[ranunculus]

Thanks Robin and Maggi ...

Second batch of images for today ...

Soldanella alpina in habitat
Saxifraga oppositifolia close-up
Silene acaulis in habitat
Gentian in crevice
Across to the Kostner hut
Gentian turf
Saxifraga oppositifolia
Soldanella alpina scenes

[ranunculus]

Third and final batch for today ...

Soldanella alpina
Gentian close-up
Anemone baldensis close-up
Viola biflora close-up
Silene acaulis in scree

[cohan]

i knew this thread was here, and just hadn't had time to get to it, great stuff, cliff!
i'm only on page three, so will be a while to catch up
...the clouds are great--love to look at the sky, so its lovely to be in it..
the eritrichium with semps is it? on bare rock(king's lair) are wonderful, as are all the other exquisite compositions of flowers and foliage on rock..
so many heavenly blues, like the tiny gentian on the first(?) page...

[cohan]

too many glories to comment on all of them!
the misty shots are beautiful--i'm always happiest on an outing with some wandering clouds for landscape views..
interesting to see some of the same woodland species we have--moneses, orthillia...

[ranunculus]

Many thanks, Cohan ... so glad you are enjoying the thread.  Many more images to post over the weeks to come (and shortly to be joined by Martin who has just returned from Arabba).

[ranunculus]

 ... And, of course, dear Kata, who has also been hiking in these magnificent mountains ... did you bump into each other Martin?

Three more batches today ...

Pinguicula alpina
Orchid close-up
Saxifraga cushion
Botrychium lunaria
Brooding sky
Botrychium lunaria
Tempting rocks
Pseudorchis albida
Leontopodium alpinum
Platanthera bifolia

[ranunculus]

Second batch for today ...


Rhododendron ferrugineum
Veratrum spike
Mountain view
Allium schoenoprasum ssp. alpinum
Silene acaulis
Listera flower head
Orchid close-up
Twayblade (Listera) full plant
Paederota habitat
Lush meadow in full bloom

[ranunculus]

Third and final batch for today ...

Dryas octopetala
Orchid meadow
View across boulder area
Tofieldia calyculata
Phyteuma close-up
Nigritella close-up
Campanula display
Cirsium spinosissimum
Campanula array
Gentian and silene