Thank you Ushadi. It would be interesting to know why some trees/plants evolved that way. If I am not wrong some other oaks such as Holm Oak (Q. ilex) also have leaves that are either entire or spiky. Someone told me the other day that the European Holly too has toothed leaves lower and less spiky leaves higher up on the tree.
I will try and find out why that is so. But if you find out before me, please share. Regards, Ashwini > On 02-Feb-2016, at 6:07 AM, Ushadi Micromini <[email protected]> > wrote: > > superb > > two types of leaves > need to search ..why? > > is that a tree hollow where the child is standing? > a fallen tree? > > usha di > >> On Fri, Jan 29, 2016 at 8:34 PM, Ashwini Bhatia <[email protected]> >> wrote: >> I left out one photo in the group that shows the sulphur yellow-brown >> undersides of leaves. >> >> Here it is. >> >> Thanks. >> Ashwini >> >> >> >> >>> On 29 January 2016 at 19:27, Ashwini Bhatia <[email protected]> >>> wrote: >>> Last Sunday I went trekking in the mountains with my ten year old and a >>> couple of friends. For me the idea was to see how the vegetation differs as >>> the altitude increases. We started at about 1800m among the familiar chir >>> pines, blue pines, deodar cedars, ban oaks, rhododendrons, Neolitsea >>> pallens, staggerbush, sour cherry and wild pear. Till about 2000m the wood >>> was similarly mixed with the same species. Just at that height, the >>> rhododendrons (R. arboreum) began to dominate but some ban oaks (Q. >>> leucotrichophora) and Neolitsia pallens still managed to grow among them. >>> The understorey was still mostly sweetbox (Sarcococca saligna) and paper >>> plant (Daphne papyracea) but the new addition was the butterfly bush >>> (Buddleja paniculata). At about 2200m rhododendrons became the dominant >>> trees and there were beautiful specimens, some of which were quite large >>> with hollow boles. Above 2400m, I saw my first kharsu oak (Q. >>> semecarpifolia) and admired its glossy dark leaves with brown undersides. A >>> little further there were many large specimens of this beautiful oak and >>> soon it dominated the hill sides. I saw a couple of Himalayan Holly plants >>> in fruit too. >>> >>> At the top in Triund (ca. 3000m), where we had intended to reach, there >>> were only kharsu oaks with an occasional rhododendron bush. Some >>> cotoneaster (perhaps C. rotundifolius) plants with red fruits were on the >>> slopes. I brought a few kharsu oak leaves down and photographed them to >>> share here. >>> >>> Kharsu oak has been on these hills since ancient times making it one of the >>> originals here. Acorns develop during the monsoon (hence I could not >>> collect any for a close look) and are favourite foods of our sloth bears. >>> The foliage is more nutritious that the ban oak and the shepherds collect >>> it for their sheep when they are in the mountains. The leaves can be round >>> and entire or oblong and spiky on the same tree. Many of the specimens were >>> huge, reaching more than 60 feet. The larger ones had hollow trunks and I >>> wonder how the trees survived on such outwardly flimsy support. >>> >>> >>> Quercus semecarpifolia—Kharsu Oak >>> 24 January 2016, >>> 2400m and above, >>> Between Gallu Temple and Triund, Mcleodganj, Dharamshala, HP >>> >>> >>> Thanks. >>> Ashwini >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "efloraofindia" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >> Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/indiantreepix. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > > > > -- > Usha di > =========== -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "efloraofindia" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/indiantreepix. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
