-- With regards, J. M. Garg ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Dinesh Valke <[email protected]> Date: Wed, 1 Jun, 2022, 7:11 am Subject: Re: [itpmods:17114] Fwd: [efloraofindia:424361] Best flora photograph and stories on efloraofindia-The elegant Ceropegia elegans To: itpmods <[email protected]>
Superb and thrilling account of meeting the Queen, thank you, TSP ji, for sharing the wonderful photo !!! Dear Pankaj, hope you find again, the white ceropegia someday !!! Instances of missing flora, most of us, have our counts. Some special ones haunt us for rest of our lives !!! Regards. Dinesh On Wed, 1 Jun 2022, 06:41 Pankaj Kumar, <[email protected]> wrote: > Very beautiful image and the story behind. > I have a similar story of an unidentified and even possibly a new > Ceropegia from Himalaya. I was in Gori Valley around the cliffs on the > right hand side of the river crossing through an Oak forest. And it started > raining heavily. We decided to go down and follow a narrow trail. I > stumbled upon one lcimber with white flower which I thought to be Ipomea so > I kind of overlooked it and walked ahead.I have a bad habit that if I see > something, the memory of that stays in my head. ~ 50 meters ahead I stopped > thinking, "no it was not Ipomea the head had a crown!!". I was accompanied > by a good professor friend from the USA. She said, "Let's go fast or we > will be stuck". I said "no I need to go back, I think I saw something > unusual. I asked her to keep walking and I will catch up. I walked up and > as it was a while flower, it was not easy to miss. I took a twig with the > flower in my hand and as it was pouring heavily, I decided to keep it in my > hands or the flower might get crushed in the bag (I wanted to take pics > later on. I returned to find my friend waiting there for me smiling!! "You > are crazy Pankaj", she said. We walked down slowly (almost 1 hour) through > bushes and reached the road only to realise that the twig broke off along > with the flowers. The remaining twig I brought to the forest guesthouse and > planted in the yard. No idea what happened to that plant and never could > get an id of the species. By the vague description I had, I couldn't match > it with any existing species from Himalaya. > Pankaj > > > On Wed, 1 Jun 2022 at 08:41, J.M. Garg <[email protected]> wrote: > >> >> >> -- >> With regards, >> J. M. Garg >> >> ---------- Forwarded message --------- >> From: tsp kumar <[email protected]> >> Date: Wed, 1 Jun, 2022, 12:56 am >> Subject: [efloraofindia:424361] Best flora photograph and stories on >> efloraofindia-The elegant Ceropegia elegans >> To: eFlora of India <[email protected]> >> >> >> Dear friends, >> I am extremely happy that efloraofindia is completing 15 years this >> June.I am ecstatic and proud that I have been associated with this forum >> since 2014 when I was a rookie photo enthusiast interested in photographing >> flowers that I came across during my field visits as a Forest Officer.I >> used to pester the experts @ efloraofindia relentlessly seeking the >> IDs.This forum, with a rich assortment of experts,satiated my >> inquisitiveness.I know the names of those that enriched this forum >> byheart.My pranams to each one of you that has made this forum what it is >> today..a global authority on flora.......Kudos >> >> This is my humble submission of a photo-story to commemorate the 15th >> anniversary of efloraofindia.The situation further kindled my passion to >> explore the floral wealth of Western Ghats.I love every moment of my field >> trips wherein I encountered spectacular orchids,curious Ceropegia,and a >> host of other breathtaking flora. >> >> Subject:*Ceropegia elegans* >> Location:Mullaianagiri,Chikmagalur,Karnataka >> Thanks-n-regards >> tspkumar >> THE STORY >> >> My tryst with the Queen……………Ceropegia elegans. >> >> The genus Ceropegia has always been an enigma. The different floral >> shapes and colours have fascinated me. I had read that about 43 of the 53 >> species that are known to occur in India are threatened and have become >> rare and genetically depleted. I always searched for them, when on field >> duty, with no success whatsoever. They remained as elusive as quicksilver. >> 24-06-2014 was another day that I could not keep indoors. It was >> mid-monsoon. The call of the Giris, my favorite “beckoning hills,” was >> irresistible. The imposing cliffs, winding roads, mesmerizing mist, >> blinding rains and its orchid perfume always beckoned me. Unmindful of my >> nemesis, those cold, slithery, and bloodthirsty leeches, I set out with my >> team hoping to find some orchids. The day was fruitful as we could find >> quite a few orchids, terrestrial and epiphytic ones. >> The climb was arduous and my nemesis,the leech, had its fair >> share of my blood. The sun was already behind the western hills and the >> light was falling rapidly. We hastened our descent hoping to get into the >> safety of my Bolero before it got too dark. Before getting into the >> vehicle, I stopped for a while to fill my lungs and to examine my shoes and >> socks, Bent a little, kick-dropped a couple of leeches and looked over my >> shoulders…! I thought that a pair of small, greenish, serpent-like eyes was >> watching me from among the thickets a few feet away. I stared for a while, >> eye-to-eye, and blinked first. Spellbound for a few seconds, I went closer. >> My heart missed a few beats as I realized that it was not a serpent, but an >> alien looking flower….! Yes. She was a Ceropegia….my Queen…! I had >> inadvertently stumbled upon the ‘Queen of Ceropegias’ that was later >> identified as Ceropegia elegans by that master explorer of Ceropegia, >> Mr.Sushant More. >> She has been a lucky mascot for me because later on I could meet >> her mates as well during the year. Ceropegia juncea, Ceropegia biflora, >> Ceropegia candelabrum,Ceropegia spiralis and the King himself, Ceropegia >> gardneri…! >> I have been recapitulating 24-06-2014 every now and then ever >> since. The images I took that day, in the falling light, are my treasure >> and occupy a prime place in my heart and archives as well. >> -tspkumar >> >> -- >> 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 view this discussion on the web, visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/indiantreepix/CAE7sjSNDtiNu8Tp4kOZ3dHtBQRwfB-qGPQD6ZR7oC5WtxHgXKA%40mail.gmail.com >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/indiantreepix/CAE7sjSNDtiNu8Tp4kOZ3dHtBQRwfB-qGPQD6ZR7oC5WtxHgXKA%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >> . >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "ITPmods" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> To view this discussion on the web, visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/itpmods/CA%2BiuSFDQ9hArd6NFRtQgzTJkaLpy%2BimwV2evZSbPcbjWH02ZiA%40mail.gmail.com >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/itpmods/CA%2BiuSFDQ9hArd6NFRtQgzTJkaLpy%2BimwV2evZSbPcbjWH02ZiA%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >> . >> > > > -- > > *Pankaj Kumar* MSc, PhD, FLS > > *IUCN-SSC Orchid Specialist Group Asia* > > Lam Tsuen, Tai Po, New Territories, Hong Kong S.A.R., P.R. China > > *email*: [email protected]; [email protected] > *Phone*: +852 9436 6251 (mobile) > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "ITPmods" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion on the web, visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/itpmods/CABpo8%3D1HL%2BvLCKDTDCXcz0bhc1AW79ngpUgF0yiA-MQD104%3DDQ%40mail.gmail.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/itpmods/CABpo8%3D1HL%2BvLCKDTDCXcz0bhc1AW79ngpUgF0yiA-MQD104%3DDQ%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "ITPmods" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/itpmods/CABSQqC2bB%3D3PQq4zaPofRANZ%2BfsX2rhx-73nYJhmq_qkjqX9iQ%40mail.gmail.com <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/itpmods/CABSQqC2bB%3D3PQq4zaPofRANZ%2BfsX2rhx-73nYJhmq_qkjqX9iQ%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> . -- 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 view this discussion on the web, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/indiantreepix/CA%2BiuSFB4GjVgFO7f_O_q-MnBOqg4oZ8084BoOQ1bviiy5Hbrfw%40mail.gmail.com.
