Thanks Dr Kumar. Can you tell us of any recent records of *Androcorys pugionformis (Lindl. ex Hook.f.) K.Y.Lang *in Kashmir or indeed along the Himalaya as a whole?
On Sunday, December 18, 2016 at 5:08:59 AM UTC, JM Garg wrote: > Thanks, Chadwell ji. > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: C CHADWELL <[email protected] <javascript:>> > Date: 18 December 2016 at 03:40 > Subject: Is this Herminium monorchis 'Musk Orchid' photographed on > Khelanmarg? > To: "J.M. Garg" <[email protected] <javascript:>> > > > I began by thinking that it would be worthwhile to have images of > Herminium monorchis > taken in the NW Himalaya to add to those posted from Uttarakhand *and > that this post would* > *be quick and straightforward, however, it has not worked out that way but > always useful* > *to check things - even though rather time-consuming. It is all-too-easy > to casually assume* > *a plant belongs to a well-known species without ever examining it > closely, so you can be* > *aware of similar ones or spot differences/misidentifications of that > species.* > > *I have e.g. never looked at Herminium monorchis with a hand-lens @ x10 or > x20 magnification.* > > *I must admit that after ALWAYS wearing and regularly using a hand lens in > the UK and on my* > *early expeditions to the Himalaya, I used one less and less - in part > because seldom is such detail* > *available/used in local floras.* > > I photographed on my most recent visit to Kashmir an orchid at the edge of > Khelanmarg, which I > took to be Herminium monorchis. > > See images 1-5 below. > > Not being an orchid specialist, I have never taken much notice of them, > unlike some who make a > special effort to track down every member of Orchidaceae they can. > > Having complex flowers, those with smaller-sized flowers require > close-inspection. > > I first came across this orchid beside the Sind River at Sonamarg during > the Kashmir Botanical Expedition > of 1983. It was also found along irrigation channels of cultivated fields > in Miyah Nullah whilst leading > botanical tours in Lahoul in the mid-1980s. > > Flowers of the Himalaya record it in forests and marshy ground in drier > areas @ 3000-4300m from Pakistan > to Central Nepal, Tibet, China, N.Asia, Europe. > > Stewart recorded it from N.Pakistan incl. Baltistan and Ladakh @ > 2400-4200m. > > However, 'Plants of Gulmarg' by Naqshi, Singh & Koul (1984) do not record > Herminium monorchis *but do* > *list Herminium pugioniforme* on the basis of a 19th Century record by > Aitchison - as does Stewart, who found > it near Mt. Kolahoi in the Upper Lidder Valley. None of the other orchids > they list seem likely. > > *So, had I mistaken what I though was H.monorchis for H.pugionforme, which > I had never heard of, or* > *the Musk Orchid had been missed on Khelanmarg?* > > *It seems that H.pugioniforme is now Androcorys pugionformis (Lindl. ex > Hook.f.) K.Y.Lang, see:* > > > http://apps.kew.org/herbcat/getImage.do?imageBarcode=K000387532 - *it is > impossible to say much on the* > *low resolution image of this pressed specimen at Kew (at least to my eye, > unfamiliar with orchids).* > > *However, there are a number of close-up images:* > > > https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=%22Androcorys+pugioniformis%22&tbm=isch&gws_rd=ssl#gws_rd=ssl&imgrc=JkmWSuh6HdVErM%3A > . > > *My initial impressions are that Herminium monorchis seems more likely but > I would welcome the thoughts of others?* > > > Best Wishes, > > > Chris Chadwell > > > 81 Parlaunt Road > SLOUGH > SL3 8BEs > UK > > www.shpa.org.uk > > > > > > > > -- > With regards, > J.M.Garg > > 'Creating awareness of Indian Flora & Fauna' > <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Jmgarg1> > > Winner of Wipro-NFS Sparrow Awards 2014 for efloraofindia > <https://sites.google.com/site/efloraofindia/award-for-efloraofindia>. > > For identification, learning, discussion & documentation of Indian Flora, > please visit/ join our Efloraofindia Google e-group > <https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/indiantreepix> (largest in the > world- around 2700 members & 2,40,000 messages on 31.3.16) or Efloraofindia > website <https://sites.google.com/site/efloraofindia/> (with a species > database of more than 11,000 species & 2,20,000 images). > > The whole world uses my Image Resource > <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:J.M.Garg> 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 'A Photoguide 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.
