Part 159 - March to Maruthang and Primula collections near Nam Chu and Chora

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SUMMARY:
Notes intermixing among primulas near camp below a cliff, with white P. umbratilis out of reach. On 14th July the party traveled to Maruthang via ridges west of the Nam Chu, collecting P. umbratilis (No. 3444) near Chora and observing extensive blue petiolarid primula above 16,000 ft amid intermittent heavy rain.

CONTENT:
been the most awful intermarriage going on. There was P. Roylei, quite true and apart. Then there were all shades of colours from mixtures of 3366, 3367, and 3383. I counted seven variations in colour, and all were mixed together. We came on to camp under a huge sheer cliff, which has many flowers at the bottom, and halfway up a fair amount of the beautiful white umbratilis No. 3384. I tried to reach it from both top and bottom, but could not get near. It is a pity: I should like some more of it. However, we have a fair number of new flowers today, and it has all been great fun.

14th July. To Maruthang. 6 miles. 12,200'. Heavy rain from 3:00 pm and all through last night. Fine in the morning, no rain till 1:30. Rain rest of day. Coolies came more or less direct down to the Nam Chu, while we kept along the ridge west of the valley, crossing it once and recrossing shortly after, at about 16,000 ft. Just this side of Chora there are some very fine cliffs and in these were many fine clumps of the white P. umbratilis, taken before under No. 3384. I took another collection (No. 3444) and left a fine lot for seed collection. Just beyond this we came across the petiolarid primula, blue var., collected as No. 3367. For the next mile—on the west side of the ridge, above 16,000 ft—this primula was covering the ground. Snow lies late up