Part 75 - Primula observations, heavy rains, and trader caravans; halt on 14 June

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SUMMARY:
The diarist notes finding dormant roots of a Soldanelloid primula and discusses potential primula sightings mentioned by Pasang and Gyundon. After days of heavy rain that swelled the river and left rhododendrons mostly over, they describe trader activity, including Bhutanese and Tibetan caravans and a report about Tasho Pumbo Wangdi’s smallest son. On 14 June, during a local halt, they collected Primula umbratilis in full flower on a nearby cliff.

CONTENT:
happen, is that it will be known one. Today we found the completely dry, dormant roots of a Soldanelloid primula. The soil it was in was in some way yet completely dry, in spite of the rain. It seems a small one, with scape only 2", might be interesting. While I was looking at that Pasang casually said perhaps the primula he & Gyundon had seen 14 days ago, further up the hill would now be in flower. It was then he said in small bud & appeared red. This is the first I had heard of this. It sounds interesting, though perhaps he has made a mistake, and it is not a primula. He has so far been good at guessing primulas, which have certainly varied enough, from a minute little thing like P. sapphirina, to P. alpicola.

A very very wet day, but no damage done to boxes, flowers or myself. There is a good deal of difference here in the flowers. Rhodos are pretty well over, except lepidotum. Primulas are coming on, the river is fully twice the size it was. I wish we had had a good day in one direction of today's march - going or coming - because the Himalayas should have been in view for a good deal of the way. Traders have started using the route too. This place is later on a small market for Bhutanese & Tibetan traders. The latter bring down salt & wool mostly. There is to be another huge caravan through shortly, I hear. Tasho Pumbo Wangdi's smallest son is a reincarnation from some Tibetan monastery, & we hear that the mother with a big caravan are going to Lhasa very shortly.

14th June Halt. This was a somewhat sunny day, & a thoroughly good one too. It was fine at last, after 3 days & nights of ceaseless rain. So I went out locally, to the cliff opposite, & got P. umbratilis in full flower, & a number of other things too. Pasang went up a