It is entirely possible that a cultivated variety of Pyracantha has been
introduced into India (the Britishintroduced various 'cottage garden' plants
just as the Moghuls seem to have introduced quite a lot of plants intoKashmir,
centuries ago) whether during the British days or post Independence and this
could have naturalised near to habitation - as has occasionally been the case
in the UK. But if that had happened in the Shimla area during the British days
it is likely that Collet would have known about it.
Given how spiny the plant is, it can make a good barrier, so its growth may be
encouraged near habitation. Hippophaerhamnoides (as members of this group will
know, its berries produce 'Leh Juice') subsp. turkestanica is common in 'wild'
locations in the drier, inner valleys on islands in rivers and in mixed
thickets by streams and rivers; it is also common in Ladakh about villages and
much used for fencing.
Perhaps a member of this group is aware of such an introduction into
cultivation (Floriculture or Forestry Departments perhaps) post Independence
but it would then need to have been grown in gardens before it was naturalised?
Part of the problem is that it is not straightforward to tell the ancestry of
cultivated plants or if, other than colour of fruits, how to distinguish
between any of these and wild Pyracantha crenulata.
Stewart was a keen and active field botanist. He did not come across
P.crenulata in the wild in N.Pakistan or Kashmir,so the wild P.crenulata may
not be widespread or common in Himachal Pradesh.
I have just checked 'Flora of Kathmandu Valley' where it is recorded (with red
fruits) in dry places between 1350-1800m.'Flowers of the Himalaya' says the
wood is used for walking sticks (though not specifically where) which suggests
it must becommon in some places and if a plant has a use, growing it (with the
bonus of its use as a fence) near to habitation would makesense or certainly
encouraging it to grow at the very least.
Presumably you are not in a position to judge if the Pyracantha you have
observed near habitation is different to typicalwild P.crenulata? This could
only be discovered by close examination and record keeping.
Anyhow, I am pleased to hear that you travel extensively in North Temperate
Forests (by this, you presumably mean in H.P.?).It is great to have people
observing and being able to recognise plants in the wild, which needs
encouraging.
Just consulted Osmaston's 'Forest Flora for Kumaon'. He, like, Collet, knew
the plant as Crataegus crenulata. He found it in the hillsfrom 2-7,000'. Common
on waste land also in Chir & Banj forest especially on banks of streams, in
such localities it was somewhat gregarious,sometimes forming dense thickets.
Interesting that 'Flora of Bhutan' mentions streamsides as its main habitat.
Presumably, assuming it remains as abundant in what was Kumaon nowadays, one
would imagine it was never as common in H.P.
Apparently Pyracantha crenulata was growing at the Godawari Botanic Garden near
Kathmandu some decades ago (do not know if it still is) in some quantity. The
form there had small orange-red berries which in ornamental terms did not
compare with the popular Firethorn cultivars grown in the UK.
Best Wishes,
Chris Chadwell
81 Parlaunt Road
SLOUGH
SL3 8BE
UK
www.shpa.org.uk
From: J.M. Garg <[email protected]>
To: efloraofindia <[email protected]>
Cc: Anil Thakur <[email protected]>; [email protected]
Sent: Sunday, 13 November 2016, 7:44
Subject: Fwd: [efloraofindia:256538] Re: Pyracantha AT OCT2016/04
Thanks, Vaneet ji.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Vaneet Jishtu
Date: 13 November 2016 at 13:12
Subject: Re: [efloraofindia:256538] Re: Pyracantha AT OCT2016/04
To: "J.M. Garg" <[email protected]>
sorry i may be wrong...however i travel extensively in the north temperate
forests and this species is confined mainly near habitations (Shimla town,
Kufri, Mashobra, Dalhousie, Narkanda, etc) and i have not come across any in
the wild.
On Sun, Nov 13, 2016 at 9:16 AM, J.M. Garg <[email protected]> wrote:
Thanks, Chadwell ji.
On 13 November 2016 at 08:51, [email protected] m
<[email protected] om> wrote:
Sorry, the information about P.crenulata being brought in by the British and
naturalising is not correct. Pyracantha crenulata is a wild species native to
the Himalaya from Kashmir to SW China and Myanamar @ 1000-2400m in shrubberies,
open slopes & cultivated areas. Its fruits are typically orange-red though
dark red forms occur.
It was not introduced by the British or became naturalised. There may have
been isolated introductions of cultivars of Pyracantha during the British time
or indeed since which might explain the specimen photographed at Narkanda, IF
it is an escape from cultivation or is being cultivated? I do not know much
about the ancestry of the various Pyracantha cultivars, whether selections or
hybrids. Pyracantha 'Orange Glow' apparently arose as a chance seedling found
in a garden in Holland around 1930. So it does not seem feasible that it could
have got into wider cultivation and thus have been brought to India before
Independence, IF this is thought to be this? Pyracantha crenulata is not often
cultivated in the UK.
Collet in 'Flora Simlensis' did record this plant but he knew it as Crataegus
crenulata which he stated was found from the Sutlej to Bhutan but failed to
indicatewhere it grew in or around Simla (as he normally did for most plants).
As it is rather a prominent shrub, then not easily missed. He said the species
was closely allied to one which was often trained against walls in Britain with
bright red fruits. There is no native Pyracantha in the UK. The commonest
species which naturalises there is P.coccinea a native of NE Spain to N.Iran.
There seem to be about 7 species, 4 from China. Some think P.crenulata and
P.coccinea may constitute the same species.
In Bhutan P.crenulata grows at streamsides, the fruits red.
I am not familiar with all the various cultivars and cannot distinguish readily
between the species, so am uncertain what the plant photographed actually is.
Stewart understood P.crenulata to be cultivated in Abbottabad and Rao recorded
it from one place in Kashmir (hence, I suspect the distribution given). He
felt that IF that was a wild specimen, it would represent a Westerly extension
of its range.
On Monday, October 24, 2016 at 4:46:39 PM UTC+1, Anil Thakur wrote:
Pyracantha 'Orange Glow'
or
Pyracantha 'Orange Charmer'
or
Pyracantha crenulata 'Orange Glow'
or
Pyracantha angustifolia (native to Southwest China)
Height: 3-4 feet
October 23, 2016
Place: Narkanda, Shimla, India
Altitude: 8700- 8800 feet
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With best Regards,
Dr. Anil Kumar Thakur
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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'.
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