Dear Dr Rawat
Hopefully the images will help botanists and plant enthusiasts to "get their
eye in" with this and other Cotoneasterspecies - a much neglected genus.
Though as you say, C.humilis is most likely to be found in districts bordering
Tibet.
The specimens of Cotoneaster humilis I located in Miyah Nullah, Lahoul were
growing amongst Iris kemaonensis and young plants of what Itook to be Juniperus
macropoda at the edge of fields of Inula racemosa and on a smaller-scale
Saussurea lappa.
Knowing altitudinal range, ecology/habitat details and associated species helps
locatepromising places to look out for particular species - plus brings the
plants alive (as do good photos).
Basic check-lists (if reliable) and floras with lots of botanical descriptions
are useful in their ways but to understand eachspecies we need to know its
habitat requirements and genuine abundance or rarity. This can only come from
field observationsand now digital images undertaken by active and knowledgeable
plant enthusiasts (whether amateur or professional). These thingsbring plants
alive to me and are more likely to engage a greater number of people that
old-fashioned purely 'botanical'written floras. We are in an age when close-up
images allow us to understand much better. There is still very much a needfor
pressed specimens and herbaria but they must embrace what digital photography
can offer.
Crude estimates of 'rarity' based on minimal surveys are misleading and need to
be challenged. One cannot judge if something is genuinelyrare sat in an office
and to proclaim a species as 'Rare & Endangered' when it is no such thing is
very wrong. What about the species which are actually rare - they are being
abandoned.....
As mentioned previously, in the UK we are blessed with 'The Botanical Society
of Britain & Ireland' (BSBI) which brings togetherboth professional botanists
(some do not realise that many botanists do not specialise in identifying
plants in general) and keenamateurs, though most of the amateurs soon become of
'professional' standard with their input invaluable. In no country are
theresufficient professional botanists to survey a country's flora well - they
need help. Even if they are enthusiastic and active, otherduties mean they
cannot spend all their time observing wild plants. So it is impossible to
understand a flora well just with botanistsworking at Institutions.
This google group and the sterling efforts of Mr Garg help to bring together a
similar mix.
Those of us with a botanical background should always be mindful of not
intimidating those who are beginners botany-wise (no matterwhat their
background). We were all beginners once and nobody knows it all - the field of
botany is so vast.
Everyone appreciates being made to feel welcome and know that their efforts are
appreciated. This is likely to encourage them to do more, which is what is
wanted as there is plenty to do.
May I thank all those existing members who have sent messages acknowledging my
contribution to-date - I am still one of the "new boys"....
Best Wishes,
Chris Chadwell
81 Parlaunt Road
SLOUGH
SL3 8BE
UK
www.shpa.org.uk
From: D.S Rawat <[email protected]>
To: efloraofindia <[email protected]>
Cc: [email protected]
Sent: Saturday, 5 November 2016, 4:49
Subject: Re: Cotoneasters 1: Cotoneaster humilis
Nice images revealing details.
This species is also known in Uttarakhand and its distribution indicate it as a
species more common in trans-Himalayan arid alpines. Osmaston (1927) which is
one of the authentic work on arborescent flora of Uttarakhand, recorded it from
Rimkim near Chor Hoti Pass to Tibet. He also states that it may be found as
lower down to 7500 feet in Himachal Pradesh.
Probably not collected from Uttarakhand in last few decades.
Hope some of us also photograph flowers of this species.
DSRawat Pantnagar
On Saturday, November 5, 2016 at 9:47:11 AM UTC+5:30, JM Garg wrote:
Thanks, Chadwell ji.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: C CHADWELL <chrischadwell261@btinternet. com>
Date: 4 November 2016 at 19:49
Subject: Re: Cotoneasters 1: Cotoneaster humilis
To: "J.M. Garg" <[email protected]>
Dear Mr Garg
Here with my first (of many) offerings of Cotoneaster and my first posting of
my own images.
Hope members will not be too overwhelmed by the 11 images etc. but hopefully
this will inspirethe serious photographers amongst them to get snapping more
images from 2017 onwards andrecognise the value of additional images covering
habitat, habit and close-ups. Would be good to haveimages of the flowers
added.
A ruler in some of the images is useful for many genera including Cotoneaster
as exact dimensions can be of significancetaxonomically - a ruler would have
helped with the images of the Delphinium we are currently looking at.
Not all rulers will come out well on photos (this was 'borrowed' from my
youngest son) and it is easy to leavethem behind in the field, so carry a
couple of spares during each trip (cannot always purchase replacements when
inremote valleys).
My entry to accompanying the images attached below is as follows:
Cotoneaster humilis Dunn. (syn. C.gilgitensis G. Klotz) recorded from Pakistan,
Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The type specimen was collected by
Dr R Stewart from near Sonamarg in 1921 - the holotype is at Kew; whilst the
isotype is at Dehra Dun.
Stewart (1972) recorded this from Sonamarg & Pahlgam plus the ascent from
Deosai to Burzil in Pakistan @ 3-4000m.
This is not currently an accepted name in 'The Plant List' but Fryer & Hylmo
are revising the genus.
The images were taken by myself in October in the lower Miyah Nullah, Lahoul,
Himachal Pradesh.
Best Wishes,
Chris Chadwell
81 Parlaunt Road
SLOUGH
SL3 8BE
UK
www.shpa.org.uk
--
With regards,
J.M.Garg'Creating awareness of IndianFlora & Fauna'Winner of Wipro-NFS Sparrow
Awards 2014 for efloraofindia.
For identification,learning, discussion & documentation of Indian Flora, please
visit/ joinour EfloraofindiaGoogle e-group (largestin the world- around 2700
members & 2,40,000 messages on 31.3.16) orEfloraofindia website (with a species
database of more than11,000 species & 2,20,000 images). The whole world uses my
Image Resource of more than a thousand species & eight thousand images of
Birds, Butterflies, Plants etc. (arranged alphabetically & place-wise). You can
also use them for free as per Creative Commons license attached with each
image.Also author of 'APhotoguide to the Birds of Kolkata & Common Birds of
India'.
--
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.
