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Lhalung and Nyug La botanical notes and river names

LSH/1/1/6/1/52 · Part · 1933-05-05

Part of The Ludlow & Sherriff Collection

SUMMARY:
Field notes from Lhalung and Nyug La record observations on Rhododendron and Primula species, including diagnostic features and flowering behavior. Local river names around Lhalung are listed. Rhododendron xanthostephanum is noted as previously found by David under No. 3666.

CONTENT:
26a
Lhalung

Rhod. edgeworthii bullatum? This seems to agree with R. bullatum, except for the pink flowers, more distinct on the lobes to base lines: 10 stamens: perhaps the size of the flower, which measured 3" across, even as in nature not pressed. It is common here, but on very high trees, & smaller at the top. A marked difference to all Edgeworthii Series is that the flowers are terminal, but only 1 flowered. X 1/5 Found a good many 2-flowered. No 3-fld.

N.B. Name of Main River at Lhalung is YARGYAP CHONG CHU, called usually, YARGYAP CHU.
" - side river passing camp is the NETSANG CHU.
" - river between Kangma La & Nyug La is CHACHURONG CHU.
" - W of Nyug La is CHUDI CHU.

Rhod. xanthostephanum yellow. Found by David under NO. 3666. There mentioned as being a small shrub, but now seen to be 10-12 ft. Number label attached to tree.

Nyug La. 11th May.

Primula Cortusoides Sect. lacerata = 3749. Nyug La. Specimens taken from low altitude, where flowers are nearly over. Shows the formation of bracts, in the same way as are formed on P. bracteosa. These begin when the plant is still in flower.
Rhod. campylocarpum telopeum. Nyug La. Aff. R. campylocarpum. Very little of this was seen. It hardly seems to agree fully with any of the yellow flowered Thomsonii series.
Rhod. micromeres. Nyug La. Flowers not yet open, but seems to agree with the description of R. micromeres. Little seen.

Note on Primula Normaniana: Flowers first seen all had the yellow eye. Now the eye varies a good deal. It seems that at first the eye is yellow, then turns either white, or very deep red.

Primula Boothii gracilipes = 3671. Nyug La. This primula does not show any elongation of the scape just now. In fact the scape is hardly visible at all. The petioles have lengthened.
Primula aff Bariensis porella = 3673. Nyug La. The leaves of this primula have increased a great deal in size. The color of leaves remains much the same, the upper surface being a little less red tinged. A magnificent primula common in a very limited area. Flower heads up to nine counted.
" " " porella " "

P.T.O

Lo La and Nyugda La to Karchung La: plant collections, weather, and travel notes

LSH/1/1/6/1/43 · Part · 1936-06-22

Part of The Ludlow & Sherriff Collection

SUMMARY:
Notes at Lo La include plant collections and a notable new Primula, with complaints about a soaked camp; David remarks on heavy rain. The following day details a march from Nyugda La to Karchung La through dense forest with rhododendrons and primulas, a hazardous descent on notched logs, late and unhappy coolies, a hut taken by Molo people, and unsuccessful attempts to obtain monal and tragopan despite sightings.

CONTENT:
Lo La. April 25. R. hookeri 3652 & 3655, ciliatum 3654, Phaeodopum 3656, megeratum 3657, Stachyurus himalaicus 3661. Daphne bholua 3658.

Chenogone wretched. The best find was a new petiolarid primula, No. 3648. But P. Normaniana is, when seen at this time, a most beautiful thing. Both are however easily beaten by P. cortusoides Sech, No. 3649 (P. laciniata), which is really a most beautiful one; other flowers, though like P. Normaniana, are much bigger.

Camping ground awful, everything soaking wet too. David is having his eyes opened. Today (27th) he was saying "what an awful place for rain". I agreed, but had to tell him that the rain would not start till after another month or a half.

Nyugda La to Karchung La
26th April. Camp near Karchung La. 8 miles. Fine morning, clouded by 10 am. Rain at 2.0 pm & most of the evening. After crossing the Chudi Chu, the ascent is steep. The hills are covered with dense forest the whole way. Tsuga (Brunoniana?) is a common tree here, & grows to a great size. Rhododendrons abound, but are yet not in full bloom mostly. Two primulas found, P. Boothii, No. 3671 (P. gracilipes), a really magnificent one, 3673 (Primula porecta?). The latter is a grand sight when growing in close clumps as we saw it about 1000 ft below the Nyugda. Over the La the descent is at first easy, then worse than ever, very steep indeed, & down notched logs the whole way. A good deal of repairing to the road had been done to these, but even so they were awful, the path is most tiring. The coolies however are very sad, many were not in camp till after 5.0 pm. We went on further than the coolies expected & they did not like having to come on. They are a very independent lot, more than once muttering of dropping the loads & refusing to go further, as they did yesterday. A Maddenii rhododendron, R. lindleyi 3667 (R. Nuttallii?) was the finest we saw. It really is a most magnificent sight when in full bloom, & like many others of the section, it has a wonderful scent. Ludlow saw some tragopan but failed to get one. Ramzana shot one yesterday, but it was never found. We have had very bad luck with monal & tragopan, having seen quite a number now, but not having got one of either yet. We had a late evening & a perfectly awful camp. My tent was in a bog, Ludlow's on a most uneven bit of ground, with just room for his bed to be put up more or less evenly. A hut had been built here on the only even good bit of ground, but this was pinched by some Molo people, & our own servants used the half we kept clean for them. A tiring day. We could have been in by 2.0 pm, & so saved the coolies, but they were almost pushed up the last mile of 1000 ft ascent, & came in very late.

Nyugda. Ludlow 44. "We are unlucky with monal & tragopan; the net result of 2 years pursuit of them so far is one monal & one tragopan."

Photographic log: B.W. Filmpack 2, Dufaycolor 2nd Batch, and Kodachrome (April 1949)

LSH/1/1/9/1/18 · Part · 1949-04-12 - 1949-04-21

Part of The Ludlow & Sherriff Collection

Photographic notes: Rip La, Tom Tom view, and Denchung (29/04/1949–06/05/1949)

LSH/1/1/9/1/26 · Part · 1949-04-29 - 1949-05-06

Part of The Ludlow & Sherriff Collection

Primula observations at Lo La and Nyug La

LSH/1/1/6/1/42 · Part · 1938-04-24 - 1936-06-22

Part of The Ludlow & Sherriff Collection

SUMMARY:
Field notes describe several Primula taxa, including a probable new species with bright golden flowers, habitat details around Lalung, and a reassessment of P. Normaniana. Records include a species list for Nyug La on April 26 and a bearing note from Nyug La to Lalung.

CONTENT: Lo La Chronologies of No. *

3648. Primula sp nov. Petiolaris sect. I think this may turn out to be a new species. It is a very pretty one when seen in mass, but single is not striking. It was growing in a typically compact mass, all rooted together. The colour is a strikingly bright golden. We only saw one patch, but a snow avalanche had come down beside it, a very likely more lurks under the snow yet. Probably only in flower for a short period, like P. vernicosa.

3649. Primula ? laciniata cortusoides sect. A most beautiful primula, with the exact habitat of P. Normaniana 3650, but with a much smaller altitude range, not growing nearly so high. It grows mixed up with 3650. In places covers the banks of small streams in masses. In the sunlight seems to keep its colour well. A much bigger flower than P. Normaniana, with a brighter eye, not quite so much pink in the flower. Strikingly beautiful. Also common N.W. of Lalung, at 8500 or so.

3650. Primula Normaniana. Ludlow got this in 1936, in flower near camp 24/4/38 under No. He reported it is a very poor primula indeed, not worth cultivating. But as seen now, it is a very beautiful one. The leaves apparently increase greatly in size later on, while the flowers do not. [Later on seen at Lalung 6700.]
X See also 3700. X

3671. Primula gracilipes Boothii. I suppose this to be P. Boothii, though the flowers are less pink than usual, perhaps due to age, the leaves appear to be narrower. Scapes still very short, hardly holding the flowers clear of the leaves.

3673. Primula aff tsariensis var. porrecta. This I at first took as a possible P. tsariensis var porrecta. But the latter was in full flower in about 22nd June 1936, whereas this is early Ap. 25th. Without my notes, I would say this is a stronger primula, a much redder in the scape, bracts (especially these) & calyx. The calyx is very large too. Huge clumps were seen higher up, 30 or more plants all closely rooted together. The colour is more purple than P. tsariensis or aff. tsariensis var porrecta. A magnificent sight when seen in mass close together. Only favours the South-west slopes in dense forest, not in open, as P. tsariensis.

Nyug La April 26.
arizelum 3674
R Grande 3663, (Sarcococca) 3664
Hookeri 3676
Lindleyi 3665, Xanthostephanum 3666, Lindleyi 3667, nite 3670
ramsdenianum 3677
P. gracilipes 3671. Tsariensis var porrecta 3673.
pand. 3680
Mag. Campbellii 3675

N.B. Bearing from Nyug La to Lalung = 120° M. " camp of 25th Ap is approx 300° M.