Showing 4 results

SUMMARY:
The diarist reflects on gentians, noting color variation of G. amoena between dry and wet zones, and describes the variable weather around Tso Bunang. At Tso Bunang Lake Camp, they halted as Danong and Tenduk returned from the Tahar La trip with supplies, including gentians from the pass such as Swertia handelii and G. nankeenis.

CONTENT:
Przewalskii 2015 2033
nankeenis 2054 - Swertia 624
otophoroides 2073 147
Otophara 2092
algida 2098
2063 orange-white

Gentians
Last night I was thinking of the gentians we had seen, and where we had seen them, and it certainly appears that all the creamy ones come from the dry zone, or at any rate the transition zone. Wilkie describes G. amoena as light colored, but sometimes blue all over. As far as I have seen, it is common up here, it is always white or cream in the dry zone, or N. of the main range. We collected it twice S. of the range, in the wet zone, once at the Ma-ha once at Sanden, in each case it was a beautiful rich blue.

Tso Bunang is a curious place. All yesterday the S. lake was in shadow, the E. side was in rain, our camp half in sun with a little rain, and the hill to the N. at the end of the lakes in sun all day.

Tso Bunang Lake Camp
17th August. Halt. Found nothing here. Danong and Tenduk came back from the Tahar La trip. They brought some food stuff.

Among the best were three gentians from the top of the pass.
Swertia handelii G. nankeenis
20

SUMMARY:
Notes on transport arrangements from Tawang, with Ludlow departing and hopes to leave with minimal changes. Describes cold, bleak weather around Kechen Tso and Kechen La, lists remaining passes toward Trashigong, and details a long day’s march from Tawang with extensive alpine plant collecting near Milakatong and Bum La.

CONTENT:
through. Pintso has great hopes of our getting away well from Tawang. If we do, he deserves a medal. Ludlow got off at 11.30 and had four changes of transport. We hope we may only have one. The Kechen Tso was not really pretty today. The sky was not the same blue as yesterday and everything had a harsh bleak look about it, and it was damnably cold coming down from the Kechen La. There remain now only the Bum La, the Nyingsang La, Nyuhsang La and Milong La, before we get down to Trashigong - one pass per day's march.

11th November. Tawang 10,500' 16 miles. Clear in the morning as far as the Milakatong north side. Then thick mist all the way here. Left at 6.30 am, hit and ourselves in at 4.30 pm. A long day but interesting. A small gentian collected on the Bum La, then a rhododendron, a primula like sapphirina on the rocks, I don't know what it will be. Some white Mec. horridula and Gent. elwesii on the Milakatong, with some Prim. gambeliana. Lower down in a swamp Prim. sijmediana (?), another rhododendron, a white prim. obliqua, a little of a marsh primula 6" scape, two more gentians, two more rhododendrons and a swertia. A good haul. All seems well

SUMMARY:
Page lists black-and-white, Dufaycolor, and Kodachrome photographs with subjects, specimen numbers, and dates from late September to early October. Locations include Marlung, Tolegang La, Larko La, and Jin La, with scenes of alpine flora, yaks, and views. A companion named Tupden is noted collecting seed and climbing a cliff.

CONTENT:
B.W. 15

1. Lake in valley opp. camp Marlung. 27.9.
2. Valley S. of Tolegang La. 3.10
3. Woolly Saussurea on Tolegang La. "
4. Larko La to Jin La "
5. Gentian depressa 4.10
6. No 19789 "
7. • "
8. Small Aconite 19727 & Gent. 5/10
9. Primula capitata 19816. 5/10
10. " " "

Dufaycolor 25.

1. Woolly Saussurea on Tolegang La. 3/10
2. 1 + 2 no filter
5. Gent. depressa? 19789 4/10
6. //

Kodachrome 33
Yak at Kangkarpunsum. 27.9.
Group of Swertia, Gent., Delphinium etc. Tolegang 2/10
Tupden after seed of P. umbratilis }
P. umbratilis, with withered leaves, Tolegang 2/10
Tupden on cliff. }
View to E from Tolegang. 2/10 //

Kodachrome 34.
Valley S. of Tolegang La. 3/10
Yaks crossing the Tolegang La. "
Woolly Saussurea "
Larko La to Jin La "
Gentiana depressa? 19789 4/10
Small aconite 19727 5/10 //

SUMMARY:
The diarist reports severe infestation of P. umbratilis seed capsules by caterpillars, difficulty finding other seeds, snow melted up to about 15,500 ft, and the drogpas leaving the high pastures. On 2nd October at Ha-chu, after clear frosty weather, they observed a large herd of burhel, finished work in the Tsampa area (Bumthang Chu watershed), planned to cross to the Dhur Chu to meet Pasang and Yundon, and reflected on concluding Himalayan trips first planned with Ludlow in 1929 at Kashgar.

CONTENT:
From among the seeds of P. umbratilis which I collected today, I extracted 67 caterpillars, which shows the difficulty with seed. Practically every capsule I take now has worms or caterpillars. I can't find any seed of a big Swertia. All capsules have 3-4 red worms in them. None of the aconites were ready yet, and I have had to take roots of some. Snow is not now lying here. It has all melted up to 15500' or so. The drogpas have all gone down from these high grazing grounds, I am surprised to see. They come in the 5th month (July) and leave in the 7th or 8th (Sept). It is a very short season. I sympathize with them going down now, but I think they should come up much earlier, when the grass is good.

2nd October. Ha-chu. This is the best day we have had. There was rain and some snow last night, but it cleared up to a beautiful morning and there was hard frost. Up till midday today there was lovely bright sun, and then huge clouds collected, but it has not snowed, and I should think we will now have several similar days. I got a little more of the same seed today, but nothing special. We walked onto a huge herd of 58 burhel on our way back. And now we have finished with the area called Tsampa, which includes the watershed of the Bumthang Chu, but not the Dhur Chu. Tomorrow we cross to the head of the Dhur Chu, and there meet Pasang and Yundon. It is difficult now to think that we have practically finished our work this year, and that there are now but 5 more days left. In a month I will be in Sikkim. And this is the last of our Himalayan trips, which Ludlow and I started planning in 1929, sitting in front of the fire in the drawing room of the Consulate General in Kashgar.