Part 33 - Arrival at Tongkyuk Dzong with plant observations en route

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SUMMARY:
The party trekked through spruce, oak, pine, and larch forest, passed below Chunyima, obtained butter and fresh milk from herdsmen with yaks, and noted several plants including Primula atrodentata and Lilium wardii. They reached Tongkyuk Dzong after 68 days, glimpsing the Po Yigrong Range and collecting limited seed of an unidentified Rhododendron, a Gaultheria, and an evergreen Berberis.

CONTENT:
hard indeed - so much so that the kukri we used to cut out plants was broken slightly, & sparks were actually made when striking the ground! This might possibly be P. bhutanica or Whitei. Like P. atrodentata the buds were covered with dense farina. We did not see Chunyima at all, but passed below it scarcely a few miles (2?) to an open space, on the other side of the river from which is a herdsman's hut where there are two men with 50 yaks. Up behind that is a very fine snow peak (Sangdam Pu?) where the valley looks very good for flowers. We got some very dirty butter from them at 9 sangs the piece, about 1 1/2 lbs. Also most excellent fresh milk as a gift. The milk was brought in a ladle made of Rhododendron wood, holding about 1/2 gallon. Our 4 coolies caught us up today joined us here, so did 7 extra pony loads which had come on "sadsi". The path all day is through fine spruce, holly oak & latterly a little pine larch. Rhododendron in places plentiful. For the first mile or two the valley is open: thence it is a gorge, but everywhere very pretty indeed. My one only pair of shoes have given out, & am reduced to gym shoes from now on. We saw a little Mec. betonicifolia at Lunang, but no more anywhere else. I also saw one Prim. chungensis. Prim. atrodentata is everywhere & is all ready for moisture & a little warmth, to put it into flower.

22nd Dec. Tongkyuk Dzong. Home at last, after 68 days. It is worth it though, from what we can see. The march today was through conifer & rhod. forest all the way, but the forest was too thick for us to get but a glimpse of the Po Yigrong Range N. of Tongkyuk. We left at 7.30 & got in at 1.30. The road is good most of the way. In the plant line the most interesting things on the march were Lilium Wardii, common on the steep bracken covered slopes in the picea & pinus forest. A Rhododendron of which we got a little seed is one I don't recognize. We also got a Gaultheria & an evergreen Berberis, but saw no...