Showing 13 results

SUMMARY:
The diarist collected many butterflies before 11 a.m., while Sherriff dug Paraquilegia from rocky cliffs, though its survival seemed doubtful. Yak transport arrived from Meishang via a route west of Tsona, crossing the Nyap-La, passing Poppa Chu Tso lake, and ascending the Forke-La in the Donka Range with wide views over the Tibetan plateau.

CONTENT:
Ludlow p. 84. I caught a nice lot of butterflies in the morning before 11 a.m. including 16 Parnassius imperator. Sherriff was busy digging out a big batch of Paraquilegia from the rocks. The tap root of this plant is very long, worming its way downward through cliffs and cracks in the solid rock in a most astonishing way. I doubt very much whether the plant will survive.

Ludlow p. 85. Yak transport arrived this morning. It has come all the way from Meishang, 2 marches away. The route led up the valley to the west of Tsona and entered undulating country with flat plains at intervals on which many yaks were grazing. Over the Nyap-La and past the Poppa Chu Tso lake then ascended the Forke-La, a pass in the Donka Range flanked to the north by a magnificent snow massif. At the summit of the pass we had a magnificent and extensive view of the Tibetan plateau stretching away to the East.

SUMMARY:
Notes on identifying Meconopsis 1613 and a small primula found by Tenduk with Lumsden in the Chickchar valley. On a halt day, Pintso is unwell; the party visits Chickchar, with Ludlow and the author exploring different routes, finding primula Nos. 1621 and 1614 common, and Paraquilegia in flower.

CONTENT:
I suppose it is well known. It is exceedingly common here.

We all found a Meconopsis 1613, which works out by Taylor's key to M. quintuplinervia. This I hardly think it can be - if only because of geographical reasons. It should be simplicifolia. A few other things of not much interest were found. The best of all was a little primula found by Tenduk, with Lumsden, growing up in or beside the snow, up the Chickchar valley. It is, as yet no beauty, pure white & has no stem visible, but I think it will grow that soon. One flower was seen pale lavender.

20th May. Halt. Pintso is not much better, still very sorry for himself. He must have an abscess somewhere in his jaw. All went round to Chickchar, a very pretty valley indeed. The village can be little if any higher than this place, & has some very fine snow peaks behind it. I went up the valley to the W. of the village & Ludlow up the main pilgrimage route. We both found primula No. 1621 growing beside 1614, & both are pretty common. Paraquilegia is in flower at last -

SUMMARY:
The writer records numerous alpine plants and seed collections, endures a foul, windy camp, and notes Ahmad Sheikh down with fever while lamenting that Lumsden left the quinine behind. They describe irrigation channels reminiscent of Hunza and then march 7 miles to Trün along river galleries, passing a side gorge bridge and the old village of Tenzika, with environmental measurements noted.

CONTENT:
51

contained a great deal, would be thoroughly worth visiting later. I saw Paraquilegia, Meconopsis (a small one), 4 Primulas, the seeds of one sikkimensis one I collected a few of (1327). An Androsace (1328) a few seeds. Gentians, saxifrages, rhododendrons and many other good looking things. A foul camp with an awful wind and dust. Ahmad Sheikh down with fever, I suppose malaria again. Lumsden left the quinine behind, dash him, but between us we can muster about 20 pills. Birds interesting. The valley is obviously wetter, but is a dry one till the rains come. South face still pretty bare even high up. Up this side valley I noticed two water channels had been taken off the main stream. The engineering reminded me forcibly of Hunza. They must have been a mile or two long and were for the most part along cliff faces.

25th April. To Trün 7 miles. Barometer 194°. Temp 60° Time 4.0 pm. Approximate height 10426'.
Road easy, but along galleries keeping 100 ft or so above the river. At mile 1½ cross a side gorge by a bridge and at mile 3 an old village called Tenzika. Then level past several gorge side nalas to a

SUMMARY:
Route described from the right bank past Dotrang to Natrampa, with notes on dense, Bhutan-like jungle and a good camp site. At Natrampa they halt and collect several notable plants, including rhododendrons, a yellow primula, Paraquilegia, and Diapensia, and later find unusual rhododendrons near a cascade along the Lung road.

CONTENT:
The road keeps pretty high over the Right bank, up and down, till about mile 3, when it is 800 ft or so above the valley bed. Here a ridge is crossed, where the path used to go down a ladder. Two miles further on a fair sized village is passed, called Dotrang. The path keeps below this, crosses a small side stream, and leads on more or less level for a while, then down hill to Natrampa. A good Camping Ground just beyond. The jungle gradually becomes thicker and more wet zone-like, till here it is just like Bhutan, on the North face, but dry, except for small watercourses, mostly high falls, where vegetation is dense. On Left bank at a waterfall I saw rhododendron 1346 and a yellow sikkimensis primula 1348, while looking for these found a Paraquilegia 1350 in flower. Lumsden found one or two rhododendrons, and Pinko and Tsongpen came in with a lovely mass of rhododendrons and a Diapensia, from the North face cliff. There is any amount of stuff here, so we stop a day.

27th April. Halt at Natrampa. A really good day. We went out along the Lung road to the first cascade, about a mile downstream. There we found a most unusual red rhododendron 1352, a beautiful mauve one 1354, and an unusual yellow one.

SUMMARY:
Account of meeting Lopa traders and making a short pilgrimage from Karutra over the Kashong La and back via the Shupten La, with notes on Lagyap Thungtso. Records abundant gentians, two new primulas (2359, 2373), the white Sikkim prim, Prim. Cawdoriana, and paraquilegia; the dakchi arrived but brought no mail.

CONTENT:
Lopa country, we met some Lopas coming up to trade with Trüm, and they said their villages were very low down, it took 6 days to reach here. From Karutra there is a short pilgrimage which we did today, over the Kashong La, round to the river and back by the Shupten La, which is about 3 m south of here. The lake is called Lagyap Thungtso—thung being one of the very long trumpets they blow in monasteries. The locals say that they can see one in the lake when it is clear. In the dip on this side of the lake, we found other gentians in plenty, and two more new primulas, both very pretty but nearly over, 2359 and 2373, the latter with huge 1 1/2" flowers and only standing the same height off the ground. On this side of the Shupten La, where it is also pretty wet, we saw masses of the white Sikkim prim we found on the Tahar La, and also to my surprise Prim. Cawdoriana, and huge clumps of paraquilegia. Soon after getting back to camp, the dakchi came in, but no mail. However we heard that our mail had

SUMMARY:
Brief note indicating travel from Lidro to Tsona and mention of seeds of Paraquilegia.

CONTENT:
Lidro to Tsona
seeds of Paraquilegia

SUMMARY:
Page lists plant notes: Lonicera (dwarf yellow), Lonicera hispida var. setulosa (seeds), Paraquilegia, 'Nom Soulei', Rhod. 5544, Primulas 5537-41, and Daphne. Also notes the height of the conifer zone.

CONTENT:
Lonicera dwarf yellow

/ Lonicera hispida var. setulosa
Seeds

Paraquilegia
Nom Soulei
Rhod.
5544

Primulas 5537, 38, 39, 40
41

Daphne

Height of conifer zone

SUMMARY:
Halted at Sahden in perfectly settled weather with plans for Nyit-sang La; Ludlow obtained a Tree Creeper. Two men returned from Tsona after six days, having taken a chair to Ragasha Kusho (absent to Lhasa); the Tsona Jongpen sent back Paraquilegia seed bags mixed with Meconopsis horridula pods, and the previously missing mail—found with the Tsona Jongpen—was recovered, while Damong mishandled arrangements for the man from Chukar.

CONTENT:
117

go far, but want one more day for the Nyit-sang La, which I last went to on a cloudy day. Weather absolutely settled at last, no fear of more than showers in future.

24th October. Halt Sahden. [Ludlow gets a Tree Creeper] Another perfect day, the best we have ever had, but unfortunately I did not go up a pass. There was not a cloud to be seen all day. In the evening the two men sent to Tsona came back.

[26th men back] They took six days for the 108 miles or so - pretty good over the passes they had to cross. They took the chair to Ragasha Kusho, but he had been called to Lhasa. I think the other Jongpen was surprised that we did what we said we would. He sent back the seed bags of Paraquilegia, but mixed up with mec. horridula pods. There are very few seeds indeed, I'm afraid, but it can't be helped. There now remains only the man from Chukar. Damong made rather a mess of the arrangements about him. When the Tsona people were talking to me I noticed a bag lying on the floor. This was the missing mail, found with the Tsona Jongpen after all. He had kept it, not knowing where we were, & expecting us to send for it from Sahden. Everything in it was in good condition, letters etc. all dry. The night temp.

SUMMARY:
Halt days near Shing-itun with Danang and Tenduk exploring a valley to the southwest, where a yellow primula was found above a bridge. The next day the author revisited via the right-hand valley to Champa Phé and a higher thang, noting a wren’s nest, abundant Paraquilegia, other primulas including possible P. sapphirina on west-facing cliffs, and that Lumsden’s white primula was already in seed. Weather included rain on the first day and fine conditions on the second.

CONTENT:
83

Rhod. thomsenii var. pallidum 1728, 1730.

29th May. Halt. Danang & Tenduk went up the valley SW of Shing-itun, keeping to the W of the village. At the top of the hill seen from camp, the valley divides in two. They crossed the stream & went into the Southern valley. Here they found a yellow primula 1732 [P. jucunda sp. nov. 1732], a good mile above the bridge. It is a fine valley. Rained part of the day.

30th May. Halt. A fine day. I went up the same way as Danang & Tenduk yesterday, as far as the bridge on the ridge. But this time we took the R hand valley, just above the bridge it opens out into a fine thang, called Champa Phé, probably about 12000'. Above this there is another small thang, with a hut, where we found a wren's nest. On the rocks Paraquilegia [Calderia macrophylla] grows in profusion, & both Roylei & the purple primula. Above this again, to the left a bit, is a valley full of avalanche snow. We went up this for some way, & on the cliffs to the R hand side going up — West — we found P. sapphirina? [P. flabellifera 1737]. It was growing on almost perpendicular cliffs, which were damp & open to the sun. Lumsden's little white primula 1644 [Vernicosa 1644], was already in seed. It is a poor thing. No flower to speak of, very short lived. Another...

SUMMARY:
Travel to Kap and then Chayul Dzong, including difficulty lowering the Tibetan mastiff Tumshu down a stone ladder, with Pinto assisting. Notes children peeling rhododendron leaf indumentum to sell as Bané for lamp wicks and observes currants, irises, and early paraquilegia and rhododendrons; an outing up the nala SE of Kap with Tsongpen and Tendup found few flowers fully out.

CONTENT:
have found. He shows it below Lung on the way to the Chupung La, whereas it is above Dotrang on the way to the Kashong La.

4th May. To Kap. 7 miles. Fine. Some difficulty in getting the dog Tumshu—the Tibetan mastiff, a useless beast really (G.)—down the stone ladder today. He was eventually carried on one man's shoulders, while Pinto came down next, holding a rope round Tumshu's neck, to keep his head up, so that he could not bite the carrier. Currants in flower and pretty numerous. The irises here are lovely, every spare inch covered with them. We noticed the children yesterday pulling the thick indumentum off the underside of a rhododendron leaf. They do this when the leaf is more or less dry, then roll up the indumentum, which comes off in one piece, and sell it to the treasury. It is extensively used as a wick in an oil lamp, and goes by the name of Bané.

5th May. Chayul Dzong. 6 miles. Tsongpen, Tendup and I went up the nala SE of Kap, leaving at 5.0 am. I was disappointed to find flowers had hardly come on at all. Paraquilegia, however, is everywhere just on the point of flowering. One or two rhododendrons were just out, but nothing new. Camped