Showing 7 results

SUMMARY:
Notes from Tsarang La on July 18 record several Primula, including P. dryadifolia with a pompom of soft white hairs at the throat, very profuse P. valentiniana, rare P. chamaethauma, and a notable Primula in the nivalis section with withered yellow flowers. P. valentiniana was also seen a few miles west of Langing in early June, and additional taxa are listed.

CONTENT:
51a . Tsarang La July 18.

Tsongpen's of our Type Tsarang La

5865. Primula dryadifolia Sect. From the roots I take this to be a primula in the Dryadifolia Section. But it has a marked pompom of soft white hairs at the throat. Very pretty when seen in close flowering mats on the open hillside.

5866 Primula valentiniana Tsarang La
The furthest West this was seen was a few miles W. of Langing, in the beginning of June, just in flower. It is in full flower here, very profuse indeed.

5867 Primula chamaethauma. Tsarang La
Appears very rare here, only 5 plants being seen. Further West very common. I have not compared it with 5589 or 3893, but the leaves appear very rough in this specimen.

5872. Primula nivalis Sect. (aff. calliantha Tsarang La sino purpurea ?) Probably the same as No. 5785, the withered flowers of which I took to be yellow. The withered flowers of 5872 also appear yellow. A magnificent primula, very reminiscent of P. obliqua in the way the adaxial lobes are reflexed. Only one specimen seen shows the candelabra effect, with 2 rings of three flowers each. Otherwise 1-, 2-, or 3-flowered, usually 2-. Not common.

Gent. nanlaensis 5864 Scobbelia melanotricha 5871
R. wardii 5868, Geranium 5869

SUMMARY:
A catalog of specimens numbered 6517–6616, chiefly Primula with one Omphalogramma entry, noting collected material (seed, roots), sectional attributions, and cross-references to earlier numbers. Includes remarks on identifications and that Primula capitata has seed only with no herbarium specimen.

CONTENT:

6517. Primula Nivalis sect. nov. = (? 5872). Seed. Calliantha
6518. " " Morsheadiana " 210
6519. " " Niv. sect. nov. = 5872. Calliantha
6520. " " Valentiniana = 5856 "
6521. " " aff. glabra "
6522. Omphalogramma brachysiphon? "
6523. Primula Elizabethae. Roots and " 215
6524. " " laeta? roots as well.
6525. " " Roylei. " "
6526. " " subularia " C.S.
6527. " " Dryadifolia = 5865, 5931. "
6528. " " aff. atrodentata = 3636. " 220
6529. " " Boothii. = 3671 Roots.
6530. " " tsariensis = 3873 Roots.
6531. " " Normaniana = 3650 Roots & "
6532. " " Cawdoriana sect. = 3699 Roots.
      aff. bariensis Roots taken. Taken for small yellow Pet. primula which was not seen. 225
6533. " " odontica Kingii = 5570. Seed
6534. " " Pet. sect. yellow = 5573. Roots also.
6535. " " chamaeuthamna = 5589 Roots also
6536. " " prenantha var. Morsheadiana = 5587. Seed.
6537. " " pudibunda? = ? 3982? " 230
6538. " " aff. strumosa = 3983 Roots.
6539. " " Elizabethae = 3985. Roots.
6540. " " capitata. v. good Seed. No Herb. specimen.
6541. " " sikkimensis sect. " " Might be P. weissii.

SUMMARY:
The diarists halt at Sanga Choling, receiving hospitality from a local mother and later sending mail via a young lama to Chague. The head lama visits and speaks of a recent scare in Lhasa involving Russians or Chinese Communists; Tsongpen returns with seeds from Karpo and the Trakan la, though the sought red Primula nivalis was not found.

CONTENT:
Sanga Choling
23rd Sept. Halt. Some rain, mostly fine and sunny. The old woman who is mother to the two girls we always see here, gave us lunch of guatu in camp, and came herself. She is a most delightful lady, full of life and talk, and her great desire was to be given some embroidery silk, a selection of which she went off with. We could get no man for the mail; all are off cutting grass and so on.

Sanga Choling
24th Sept. Halt. Got a man for the mail, through the mother's good offices, and sent him off this morning via Chague. He is a young lama and seems a nice youth. Rained in the night again. After lunch the head lama called, and was very pleasant. He has just returned from Lhasa, where he told us of scare of Russians, which may be real Soviet or Chinese Communists. However R.B. Norbu had gone to Lhasa, and the scare had quietened down. Nearly all S. Choling seems to be inter-related, and it is most complicated. We gave him some fruit salad and cake to eat, many cigarettes and four glasses of Cointreau, all of which he took with relish, a most un-lama like performance. It rained off and on all evening, and was overclouded all day. Tsongpen arrived back with a few seeds from Karpo and the Trakan la. He failed to find the red Primula nivalis, but got another one, and the P.

SUMMARY:
The writer describes a steep route over open hillsides to the Dza La, then a very steep descent toward the Tsokar, noting firs, a hut, and a glacier by the lakes. A small white Meconopsis was found; during a halt above the Nga La, additional Primula observations were made, and Ludlow brought in a specimen.

CONTENT:
then a steep ascent again over open hillside to the Pangha at m 5 1/2. Here again there is a drop, this time steeply for about 300 ft, then ascent gradual through rhododendrons to open stony valley reached at m 6 1/2. Thence more or less E to the Dza La at m 8. The last mile is steep over stony hillside. Descent of E side very steep at first. The Tsokar consist of 2 small lakes about 2 1/2 m behind the Dza La and 2000 ft below. Beside the lakes are fir trees and a hut. A glacier falls very steeply into one lake. Found today a little white Meconopsis (Mec. argemonantha) 2531 which does not seem to answer to M. lyrata or primulina, though near the latter. Otherwise nothing much of interest. P. Valentiniana is very common on the right of the path going to the Dza La.

1st September. Halt. Camp above Nga La. A lovely day, with mist coming up in the evening and some thunder then. Afterward cleared up and was very pretty. Went up the steep valley directly behind camp, and came across one new, but uninteresting primula (P. hookeri) 2535. There were also P. Valentiniana, P. Jonardunii, P. nivalis sp., P. 1621 (Tsariensis), P. Cawdoriana, and a very small one, none in flower. Ludlow brought in one 2536 (Caveana) which seems to be an Obtusifolia primula, also no flowers.

SUMMARY:
The diarist describes severe wind and snow near a pass, continued mixed weather, and seed collecting of Primula, Gentiana stictantha, Meconopsis bella, and Diplarche multiflora. Coolies were to return to Karutra, about 50 Crossoptilon were seen, and Tsongpen suffered from snow blindness.

CONTENT:
on the South side, while on the N. it was bright sun, though the
snow was blown a good distance beyond the pass, by a very strong
wind. The primula rotundifolia seeds are not yet ripe, we could
find no P. tenuiloba. But I got some good seed of P. nivalis sp., and
several other things of less importance. The marks we left for
Gent. stictantha were covered with snow, but I found a few
ripe seeds. Many have been eaten by insects. Coolies returned
to Karutra, are to come on the sixth day. On the way
up above Karutra, I came across about 50 Crossoptilon,
but did not shoot any.

Near Kashong La
10th October. Halt. Yesterday afternoon and evening were beastly.
A howling gale was blowing, and it snowed steadily all evening
and a good deal of the night. The wind dropped about 8:00 pm.
Tsongpen had bad snow blindness, and has had it all today
too. Today was lovely after about 8:00 am till 1:00 pm.
Then the rain came on and later on snow, but the wind
has not been nearly so strong, and only in gusts. I found
a few more seeds of G. stictantha, some Mec. bella and
a little yellow primula, besides a heath (Diplarche multiflora) which we
collected above Mignitum. This heath, 1713, turns a lovely

SUMMARY:
A long trek over bleak ground near Dungshinggang yielded additional primulas (including P. umbratilis 3301 and a full collection of nivalis under 3310), views of the 'Door to Dungshinggang,' several small lakes including Yum Tso (Yu Tso), and a Grandala nest. Tsongpen developed a fever when rain began around noon and by 5 pm was unable to bring in specimens.

CONTENT:
Descriptive Black No.

We found no new primulas on a long day over very bleak ground, but got some more, saw lots of P. umbratilis 3301, a most beautiful primula it is too. We also got a full collection of the little nivalis primula collected first under 3271, now taken under No. 3310. Over the first huge hill, we came to what they call the Door to Dungshinggang, a huge hole through the hill, about 70 ft by 20'. Away below us on the rhodo-clad hillside, we could see the shadow of our hill, - this huge hole showing up in it. Down there, were about 100 sheep brought up by the Nepalis from Chirang direction. We went on, up and down the most precipitous places, till the "three brother" peaks of Dungshinggang were very close, but we did not attempt them. One would need more time than we had to spare. The "Yum Tso" (Yu Tso) or amethyst(?) lake was very well named. We saw a lot of lakes of all colours, usually about 50 yards long. One interesting thing we saw was the nest of a Grandala c. coelicolor. Tsongpen was fit in the morning, but developed fever as soon as the rain came on about noon. He arrived back in a poor way, but I never knew it till 5.0 pm, when he was unable to bring in the specimens to be written up. He is a very good lad Tsongpen, and I hope he will soon recover. He is so keen,

SUMMARY:
Notes problems with transport, dispatching Pintso and Tsongpen from Podzo Sumdo to Chinchas to begin a second Kongbo seed-collecting round, and leaving Migyitun for home. Short excursions around Bimbi La record collecting seeds of androsace, gentians, primulas, and widespread Cyananthus, including a halt at Bimbi La camp and work with Ludlow.

CONTENT:
Bimbi La

inducing them to turn up in time, or even at all. They have brought us up as far as our old camp, but will not go on any further. I hope they agree to stay the night & take us up in the morning. Pintso & Tsongpen left us at Podzo Sumdo & went on to Chinchas, where Pintso will send Tsongpen off on his second round of the Kongbo, to collect seed. I gave him 260 shao to see him through. I hope Pintso may also trace the mail, & send it up at once. We are now on our way home, having left Migyitun for the last time - without many regrets.

6th Sept. Fine, sunny most of the day. Went up toward Bimbi La, to the top of the rhododendron zone, to collect seeds of a lovely little androsace which was in flower here before, & got a good packet. It is not all ripe yet though. Found also a fine gentian - or Lomatogonium growing among masses of Cyananthus which covers the hillside. Only out for the morning.

Bimbi La camp

7th Sept. Halt. Fine. Went to Bimbi La with Ludlow. Saw Gentiana shetantha, & a fine blue one on the la which looks like G. ornata. Collected some seed of 1778, the nivalis primula found by Danang. The other, P. rotundifolia (orbicularis?) sp. was not ripe. The Cyananthus everywhere on the hillside looks a little different, so I collected