I only wish we had digital cameras (I enough funds to use film cameras
liberally) in early seventies when we would visit Apharwat Peak every week.
We would start at 7.30 from Srinagar take a bus to Tangmarg about 40 km
away, start climbing from 7000 ft to Gulmarg 8000 ft, Khillenmarg 10000 ft,
to top of Apharwat mountain 12500 ft, descend down to take lunch and make
tea at Ahlpather lake 12000 ft, start climbing down and take bus from
Tangmarg at about 5 pp.
And one day myself and Dr. A H Munshi (both working for our PhD)
started from Pahalgam around 7000 ft, at 7 am , explored Lidderwat (about
9000 ft) and reached Tarsar and Marsar Lakes more than 13000 ft alt, at 4
pm, took something to eat from a local teastall, started almost running to
reach back Pahalgam.
Ladakh with no regular Transport system we hitch-hiked our travel, till
we got a Departmental jeep in later visits.
Dr. Gurcharan Singh
Retired Associate Professor
SGTB Khalsa College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007
Res: 932 Anand Kunj, Vikas Puri, New Delhi-110018.
Phone: 011-25518297 Mob: 9810359089
http://www.gurcharanfamily.com/
http://people.du.ac.in/~singhg45/
On Mon, Dec 5, 2016 at 7:16 PM, J.M. Garg <[email protected]> wrote:
> Thanks a lot, Chadwell ji, for the marvellous details.
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: "C CHADWELL" <[email protected]>
> Date: 6 Dec 2016 7:18 am
> Subject: Botanizing in Kashmir Part II - Scaling 'Sunset Peak' Pir Panjal
> Range, Kashmir & locating Saussurea simpsoniana
> To: "J.M. Garg" <[email protected]>
> Cc:
>
>
>
> 1. Near Sunset Peak, Pir Panjal Range, Kashmir - Chris Chadwell & a
> colleague followed the right-hand ridge to the top of this mountain, home
> to Saussurea simpsoniana
>
> 2. View from Col below Sunset Peak
>
>
> I had quite a difficult time negotiating the ridge to the top of this
> mountain, as the large rocks we walked on (at quite an angle) often moved...
> Near the top there was an exposed section, with a sheer drop on one side
> (to one’s death) so I used a hand to help keep my balance. Unfortunately,
> a piece of jagged rock about 75cm long moved crushing the top of 3 of my
> fingers cutting half-way through one. Feeling rather sorry for myself, I
> showed this to my fellow Britisher – a tough 6 foot 5 inch Scot, expecting
> sympathy and first aid. He dismissed the wound as minor – so I was left
> to bandage myself up un-aided. And to him, it was nothing. Some years
> earlier, when using a chain-saw alone in Scotland, in a fairly remote spot,
> this slipped cutting deep into the flesh from just above his knee for some
> 30cm. He managed to walk quite some distance to his car and drive
> himself to hospital! So why was I making a fuss about such an
> insignificant wound.... When at work, as Deputy Principal of a National
> Trust for Scotland Garden, he wore shorts for part of the year - the scar,
> proving what had happened to him, being visible.
>
> 3. Saussurea simpsoniana, Pir Panjal Range, Kashmir
>
> 4. Saussurea simpsoniana, Pir Panjal Range, Kashmir
>
> 5. Saussurea simpsoniana, Pir Panjal Range, Kashmir
>
> 6. Saussurea simpsoniana, Pir Panjal Range, Kashmir
>
> 7. Colleague of Chris Chadwell’s @ 4500m gathering specimen of
> Saussurea simpsoniana for pressing
>
> 8. Pressing Saussurea simpsoniana @ 4500m, Pir Panjal Range, Kashmir
> for depositing in University of Kashmir Herbarium – *it is important to
> cut the specimen of bulky plants like this Saussurea in half to aid the
> pressing & drying process, otherwise they are liable to rot and be ruined*
>
> 9. Pressing Saussurea simpsoniana @ 4500m, Pir Panjal Range, Kashmir
> for depositing in University of Kashmir Herbarium (see 8 for comments)
>
>
> *I would like to take this opportunity to say that I consider there has
> been much confusion between Saussurea species (this is a complicated genus)
> with e.g. Saussurea obvallata being misidenfied in the NW Himalaya/Ladakh.*
>
> *As for S.simpsoniana and S.gossypiphora, I do not consider they are well
> understood in the NW Himalaya.*
>
> *Given that very few other botanists have ever scrambled about on the
> peaks in the Kashmir Valley, one is largely left with very few specimens
> gathered on more accessible passes.*
>
> I have seen (and photographed) what I understand to be S.simpsoniana above
> the Rohtang Pass in Himachal Pradesh; other have recorded S.gossypiphora
> from the area. They may well be mistaken.
>
> Returning to Kashmir. Stewart records S.gossypiphora from a few locations
> in Kashmir @ 4700-5700m (incl. Mt. Kolahoi on cliffs) but I wonder if these
> specimens might not be S.simpsoniana.
>
> I have seen a photograph of Oleg Polunin's taken in Kashmir, which is also
> what I take to be S.simpsoniana not S.gossypiphora.
>
> As for S.simpsoniana, Stewart knew this as Saussurea sacra (following FBI)
> with a single collection by Koelz from Chortren Chen @ 5500m. Quite a
> muddle I think.
>
> Interestingly, Dickore & Koelz, in the most up-to-date check-list for
> Ladakh list 19 Saussureas incl. S.gossypiphora but not S.simpsoniana, nor,
> correctly, S.obvallata.
>
> 'Flora of Lahaul-Spiti' list S.gossypiphora from the Rohtang (which is not
> part of Lahaul, so should not have been included in this flora anyhow) but
> I suspect this is a misidentification for S.simpsoniana. I shall try and
> locate my images of what I consider to be S.simpsoniana taken above
> Rohtang, to post (and thus submit, as supporting evidence). I have not
> seen the Bor specimen in the DD herbarium.
>
> A full taxonomic revision of Saussurea in the Himalaya is required - quite
> a number of new species have been described in the E.Himalaya in past
> decades.
>
> As with all genera, the more good quality images members of this google
> group post of Saussurea, the better we can start to understand the genus.
>
>
> Best Wishes,
>
>
> Chris Chadwell
>
>
> 81 Parlaunt Road
> SLOUGH
> SL3 8BE
> UK
>
> www.shpa.org.uk
>
>
>
>
> --
> 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.
>
--
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.
