Dear Friends, Besides Trees I think it would be worthwhile to read about Botanists of the yesteryears also, This is a discussion thread from the Tamilbirds discussion group which I am sharing with you all,
Regards Naveein --- On *Mon, 9/8/08, Theodore Baskaran <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>* wrote: From: Theodore Baskaran <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Tamilbirds] Re: The lost orchid To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Monday, September 8, 2008, 12:20 PM Henry Noltie has written an interesting article in the current GEO on the botanist Wight. The article also carries some rare botanical paintings. Quite a few plants have been names after Wight. Theodore Baskaran --- In [EMAIL PROTECTED] ups.co.in <Tamilbirds%40yahoogroups.co.in>, "vsram2003" <[EMAIL PROTECTED] ..> wrote: > > This is an interesting article on a botanist of Southern India. I did > some internet search and found that one of the books (Reminiscences of > Life & Sport in Southern India (London: W.H. Allen & Co., 1890) by > Heber Drury is available for download at: > http://openlibrary. org/a/OL1171971A <http://openlibrary.org/a/OL1171971A> > Santharam > > ------------ --------- --------- --------- > Biodiversity > > Biodiversity > > The lost orchid > > S. THEODORE BASKARAN > > There has been renewed interest in the early botanists of British > India. The story of Heber Drury and the rare orchid named after him. > > > When I received an invitation for dinner with Botanical historian > Henry Noltie of the Royal Botanical Garden, Edinburgh, I was > enthusiastic. I have heard about his research, particularly the > three-volume work on Robert Wight who, in 1836, trekked around the > Palani ranges and documented the botanical wealth of the area. In > recent years, there has been a renewed curiosity in the early > botanists of British India and Noltie's work on the subject is > considered seminal. My own interest in meeting him was to learn about > a British botanist named Drury. Over dinner Henry talked about Drury. > > Heber Drury (1819-72) was a Colonel in the Madras Light Infantry > stationed in Travancore. He wrote the Handbook of Indian Flora (3 > volumes) and the Useful Plants of India. Incidentally, the Handbook is > dedicated to the Prince of Travancore, showing that he was not the > usual, snobbish Raj Officer of that era. The British government was > interested in knowing the commercial potential of the plants in their > tropical colonies while naturalists like Drury were interested in the > plants as subjects of their study. As an adjunct to this study, a > school of botanical painting developed in South India. We have a > volume of drawings of grasses made by a "native" artist whom Drury > employed while in Travancore. His autobiography, Reminiscences of Life > & Sport in Southern India (London: W.H. Allen & Co., 1890) provides a > window to the natural history of the period. > Claim to fame > > Drury's another claim to fame is that a rare orchid of the Western > Ghats has been christened after him. Paphiopedilum drury is endemic to > the Agasthya ranges near Tirunelveli, better known as the Courtallam > ranges, almost at the southern end of the Western Ghats. This area has > now been recognised as one of the hot spots of biodiversity in the > world. Incredibly rich in life forms, these hills traditionally are > known for herbs and medicinal plants. The orchid we are talking about > grows in the grassy slopes of these ranges and blooms in May/June, a > yellow-coloured flower 5-7 cm in size. There was another G.D. Drury, > collector of Tiruvelveli, whom earlier I had mistaken to be the orchid > Drury. > > Known among orchid fanciers as "the Lost Orchid", now it is a much > sought after collector's item. I have only seen a pressed specimen in > the herbarium of the Botanical survey of India, Coimbatore. There was > an orchid fancier in Bangalore who had two plants but would not trust > me enough to let me photograph them. What is special about this plant > is that it is one of the relict species; that is, species found in the > Himalayas and next only in the Western Ghats but nowhere in between. > The red Rhododendron is another relict plant. Among mammals you have > the tahr — the Nilgiri tahr here and the Himalayan tahr there — as > relict species and among birds the Grey -headed flycatcher as relict > species. > Rallying point > > The lost orchid came to symbolise the disappearing floral wealth and > the amazing biodiversity of the Western Ghats. To raise money to save > such rare botanical species of the world, the plant artist Stone chose > to paint the Lost Orchid and sold it to raise money. > > When I first learnt about this orchid in the early 1970s, I was naïve > enough to think that all you have to do is to walk around in this area > and you will see the plant. I went searching for it. In Courtallam, I > took the Puckle's path, which goes along the Chithar right up to the > awe-inspring Thenaruvi (Honey falls). Beyond that I walked up to > Paradesi cave (because it is near Paradise Estate) which contains an > inscription yet to be deciphered. That was a memorable trek. But I did > not see the orchid. It was only later I learnt that this is a plant of > grasslands and that this terrestrial orchid is noticeable only during > the flowering season. This belongs to a variety popularly referred to > as "Lady's slipper orchid" after the shoe-shaped flower > paphilopedilum. There are quite a few of this variety in the Himalayas > and the Northeast but only one in Western Ghats. > > Quite a number of the books on natural history written during the Raj > era are getting resurrected, some through reprint and some through an > electronic form on the Net. This is providing us with new insights > about the pioneers, their work and the incredible wealth of wildlife > in those years. > > S. THEODORE BASKARAN > > There has been renewed interest in the early botanists of British > India. The story of Heber Drury and the rare orchid named after him. > > > When I received an invitation for dinner with Botanical historian > Henry Noltie of the Royal Botanical Garden, Edinburgh, I was > enthusiastic. I have heard about his research, particularly the > three-volume work on Robert Wight who, in 1836, trekked around the > Palani ranges and documented the botanical wealth of the area. In > recent years, there has been a renewed curiosity in the early > botanists of British India and Noltie's work on the subject is > considered seminal. My own interest in meeting him was to learn about > a British botanist named Drury. Over dinner Henry talked about Drury. > > Heber Drury (1819-72) was a Colonel in the Madras Light Infantry > stationed in Travancore. He wrote the Handbook of Indian Flora (3 > volumes) and the Useful Plants of India. Incidentally, the Handbook is > dedicated to the Prince of Travancore, showing that he was not the > usual, snobbish Raj Officer of that era. The British government was > interested in knowing the commercial potential of the plants in their > tropical colonies while naturalists like Drury were interested in the > plants as subjects of their study. As an adjunct to this study, a > school of botanical painting developed in South India. We have a > volume of drawings of grasses made by a "native" artist whom Drury > employed while in Travancore. His autobiography, Reminiscences of Life > & Sport in Southern India (London: W.H. Allen & Co., 1890) provides a > window to the natural history of the period. > Claim to fame > > Drury's another claim to fame is that a rare orchid of the Western > Ghats has been christened after him. Paphiopedilum drury is endemic to > the Agasthya ranges near Tirunelveli, better known as the Courtallam > ranges, almost at the southern end of the Western Ghats. This area has > now been recognised as one of the hot spots of biodiversity in the > world. Incredibly rich in life forms, these hills traditionally are > known for herbs and medicinal plants. The orchid we are talking about > grows in the grassy slopes of these ranges and blooms in May/June, a > yellow-coloured flower 5-7 cm in size. There was another G.D. Drury, > collector of Tiruvelveli, whom earlier I had mistaken to be the orchid > Drury. > > Known among orchid fanciers as "the Lost Orchid", now it is a much > sought after collector's item. I have only seen a pressed specimen in > the herbarium of the Botanical survey of India, Coimbatore. There was > an orchid fancier in Bangalore who had two plants but would not trust > me enough to let me photograph them. What is special about this plant > is that it is one of the relict species; that is, species found in the > Himalayas and next only in the Western Ghats but nowhere in between. > The red Rhododendron is another relict plant. Among mammals you have > the tahr — the Nilgiri tahr here and the Himalayan tahr there — as > relict species and among birds the Grey -headed flycatcher as relict > species. > > Rallying point > > The lost orchid came to symbolise the disappearing floral wealth and > the amazing biodiversity of the Western Ghats. To raise money to save > such rare botanical species of the world, the plant artist Stone chose > to paint the Lost Orchid and sold it to raise money. > > When I first learnt about this orchid in the early 1970s, I was naïve > enough to think that all you have to do is to walk around in this area > and you will see the plant. I went searching for it. In Courtallam, I > took the Puckle's path, which goes along the Chithar right up to the > awe-inspring Thenaruvi (Honey falls). Beyond that I walked up to > Paradesi cave (because it is near Paradise Estate) which contains an > inscription yet to be deciphered. That was a memorable trek. But I did > not see the orchid. It was only later I learnt that this is a plant of > grasslands and that this terrestrial orchid is noticeable only during > the flowering season. This belongs to a variety popularly referred to > as "Lady's slipper orchid" after the shoe-shaped flower > paphilopedilum. There are quite a few of this variety in the Himalayas > and the Northeast but only one in Western Ghats. > > Quite a number of the books on natural history written during the Raj > era are getting resurrected, some through reprint and some through an > electronic form on the Net. This is providing us with new insights > about the pioneers, their work and the incredible wealth of wildlife > in those years. > > http://www.thehindu .com/mag/ 2008/09/07/ stories/20080907 50300700. > htm<http://www.thehindu.com/mag/2008/09/07/stories/2008090750300700.htm> > __._,_.___ Messages in this topic <http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/Tamilbirds/message/1620;_ylc=X3oDMTM1NjJiMXZqBF9TAzk3NDkwNDgxBGdycElkAzE4OTE0MzUwBGdycHNwSWQDMTcyMDA4MzY2MwRtc2dJZAMxNjIxBHNlYwNmdHIEc2xrA3Z0cGMEc3RpbWUDMTIyMDg1NjYzNwR0cGNJZAMxNjIw> (2) Reply (via web post) <http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/Tamilbirds/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJxNG1wY29mBF9TAzk3NDkwNDgxBGdycElkAzE4OTE0MzUwBGdycHNwSWQDMTcyMDA4MzY2MwRtc2dJZAMxNjIxBHNlYwNmdHIEc2xrA3JwbHkEc3RpbWUDMTIyMDg1NjYzNw--?act=reply&messageNum=1621>| Start a new topic <http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/Tamilbirds/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJmbmZzYXJrBF9TAzk3NDkwNDgxBGdycElkAzE4OTE0MzUwBGdycHNwSWQDMTcyMDA4MzY2MwRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNudHBjBHN0aW1lAzEyMjA4NTY2Mzc-> Messages<http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/Tamilbirds/messages;_ylc=X3oDMTJmN3BmM3UyBF9TAzk3NDkwNDgxBGdycElkAzE4OTE0MzUwBGdycHNwSWQDMTcyMDA4MzY2MwRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNtc2dzBHN0aW1lAzEyMjA4NTY2Mzc->| Files<http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/Tamilbirds/files;_ylc=X3oDMTJnaHE0M2d1BF9TAzk3NDkwNDgxBGdycElkAzE4OTE0MzUwBGdycHNwSWQDMTcyMDA4MzY2MwRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNmaWxlcwRzdGltZQMxMjIwODU2NjM3>| Photos<http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/Tamilbirds/photos;_ylc=X3oDMTJmajBrcjdrBF9TAzk3NDkwNDgxBGdycElkAzE4OTE0MzUwBGdycHNwSWQDMTcyMDA4MzY2MwRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNwaG90BHN0aW1lAzEyMjA4NTY2Mzc->| Links<http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/Tamilbirds/links;_ylc=X3oDMTJnYTcyNHU1BF9TAzk3NDkwNDgxBGdycElkAzE4OTE0MzUwBGdycHNwSWQDMTcyMDA4MzY2MwRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNsaW5rcwRzdGltZQMxMjIwODU2NjM3>| Database<http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/Tamilbirds/database;_ylc=X3oDMTJkOWtoOXQyBF9TAzk3NDkwNDgxBGdycElkAzE4OTE0MzUwBGdycHNwSWQDMTcyMDA4MzY2MwRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNkYgRzdGltZQMxMjIwODU2NjM3> [image: Yahoo! 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