A query from Kathmandu, Nepal. Requiring assistance please.

[ranunculus]

An interesting query has come my way regarding a Gold Medal awarded to a Nepali plant hunter back in the 1930's.
As I am no longer a member of the RHS, I was wondering if any current member of that Society or any member of the SRGC could shed any light on this award for my friend, Kamal Maden, who resides in Kathmandu?

I have included the complete transcript of our internet communication.


KAMAL MADEN

Conversation started 23 February 2016
23/02/2016 07:38
Kamal Maden
I have querry, one of Nepali plant collector also got the gold medal in uk during 1931 or 1932 from Royal Park, I read it in one research article published in 1976. The authentic information of it , is still lacking, can we veryfy it or not. Regarding this, I wrote an popular article in newspaper and the guy family member knew it and asked me to know about it. Is it possible to search such information there. As the information, when the gold medal annouced, at that time he had expired in field expedition.

23/02/2016 07:51
Kamal Maden
He was major Lal dhwaj Sunuwar, collected plants by the authority of Prime minister Chandra Samser Rana of Nepal in the request of King George II or IV? Many plant species are named in honour of him. Such as Meconopsis dhwojii, Herarcleum lalli, Aconitum dhwojii, Saxifraga dhwojii, Sausuria dhwoji, Laldhwojia staintonii etc.

23/02/2016 07:53
Kamal Maden
He was first Nepali plant collector but no one know about him, I wrote about him and his grand daughter, son very much pleased to me, and requested to know about gold medal.
Is it real or only propoganda ?

23/02/2016 08:02
Cliff Booker
Hi Kamal, firstly there are many different kinds of Gold Medal in British horticulture, each Society, Club or Group awards their own version and mine were awarded by the Alpine Garden Society. I imagine your query might regard the Royal Horticultural Society Gold Medal. With your permission I will post your query on the pages of the Scottish Rock Garden Club and see if there is any response?

23/02/2016 08:04
Kamal Maden
Thank you very much, I will send my article in Nepali version and his grand daughter mail to you, so pls send me your email ID.
Yea read the original article, it is Royal Horticulture Society.
Yea I read the original article published in Journal of Bombay Natural Hist. Society, Vol. 73, page 472, published year 1976, title - History of botanical exploration in Nepal by K.R. Rajbhandari.
Yea I read the original article, it is Royal Horticulture Society

23/02/2016 08:15
Cliff Booker
 - but I am away in Iceland from tomorrow so it may have to wait for a week or more. Kind regards, Cliff.

23/02/2016 10:44
Cliff Booker
A simple Google search produced this result - you may already have knowledge of this?

23/02/2016 10:44
Cliff Booker
The largest and most far-ranging and extensive Nepalese pteridophyte collections are those of the many energetic Nepalese botanists, starting with Lieut., later Capt., then Major Lal Dhwoj (Sunawar) in the late 1920s to 1931 who collected for presentation to Britain, for the BM. Dhwoj first worked and trained at Lloyd Botanic Garden, Darjeeling, under George Cave, and then as a Lieutentant of the Royal Nepalese Army, was appointed in 1928 by the Nepal Govt. to start a botanical nursery on Shivapuri Hill, and to collect plants and seeds. He collected in Central Nepal in 1927 and 1928 and in 1929, accompanied Dr. Basant Lal Gupta and the F.R.I. collector, Bis Ram, from the Forest Research Institute, Dehra Dun (DD), to Khaptad in Doti District in S.W. Nepal, also collecting again in C. Nepal. In 1930 he collected in Dolakha and Solukhumbhu in E. Nepal, but died in 1931 while on his last expedition (see Parker 1932, Hay 1934, Stainton 1957 ined., Hara, Stearn & Williams 1978). His successor in Nepal was Prof. K.N. Sharma, though he only collected very few ferns. Following them and the early British and Japanese collections came the major collections from the Department of Plant Resources, Godawari from 1966-2014, preserved with nearly 15,000 pteridophyte sheets at KATH and with collection currently ongoing in W. and E. Nepal. These collections have been very largely overlooked by Japanese and other foreign publications and are drawn on here for the first time for pteridophytes. They include important collections of ferns by T.B. Shrestha, P.R. Shakya, D.P. Joshi, A.V. Uphadyaya, M.S. Bista, B. Roy, V.L. Gurung, M.M. Amatya, K.R. Rajbhandari, N.P. Manandhar, A.R. Sakya, T.K. Bhattacharya, M.N. Subedi, M.K. Adhikari and N. Thapa. Collections of some of the more prominent and common pteridophyte species, mainly in well known localities in C. Nepal, have also been made by botanists and students of Tribhuvan University, since c. 1995 and are preserved in TUCH herbarium, mostly identified by CRFJ, though the bulk are multiple re-collections by students from well known localities near Kathmandu, Pokhara and Langtang.
Taken from :- Ferns and Fern New (Final).pmd - Department of Plant …
dpr.gov.np/download/publications//Ferns_Fern_allies_Nepal_1.pdf
dpr.gov.np
dpr.gov.np

23/02/2016 11:24
Kamal Maden
Thank you very much informing the material published in Fern book. Last year, I have participated that book inauguration function, but have not read it yet. As the book, I found little bit more information about him. Here, authors have written/ added his sure name in bracket, I wrote very first time his surname - Sunuwar. Thank you again, searching and sharing this valuable information to me.
















[Maggi Young]

I am aware of  the report of a  letter from a former Director General of the  Royal Horticultural Society to a gathering honouring the distinguished horticulturist, botanist & plant collector Prem Nath Kohli in 2003 :

"His exploration in the Himalaya and the many introductions of horticultural & botanical merit & scientific interest have greatly benefited gardeners & botanists in many parts of the world particularly in the UK, where his great ability, talents & scholarship were recognised by the Floral Committee of the Royal Horticultural Society by the award of a Gold Medal in 1933." 
also : " Kohli also helped botanical research by sending herbarium specimens to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and was instrumental in collecting plant material at the request of King George V's Private Secretary."

 So the RHS  should be able to  find the relevant information for Major  Lal dhwoj Sunuwar, who perhaps had contact with P, Kohli?

[ranunculus]

Many thanks, Maggi … all very relevant information for Kamal and his investigation.

[johnralphcarpenter]

I am aware of  the report of a  letter from a former Director General of the  Royal Horticultural Society to a gathering honouring the distinguished horticulturist, botanist & plant collector Prem Nath Kohli in 2003
 

Isn't P Kohli and Company the firm used by Chris Chadwell?

[Tristan_He]

Isn't P Kohli and Company the firm used by Chris Chadwell?

Apparently so Ralph. http://www.shpa.org.uk/p-kohli-co-india

[Hoy]

If I remember rightly Chris Chadwell arranged for a (gold) medal to Kohli a few years ago. (Chris has often mentioned Kohli in conjunction with his seed collecting.) I can't remember which one though but Chris certainly can shed light on this.

[Maggi Young]

As has been seen in another thread,  Chris Chadwell has been subject to some bad press   recently  - about which I do not feel qualified to comment fully - but he has certainly mentioned over many years his  relationship with the  firm of P. Kohli - now  no longer in business.  The Kohli Medal was instigated in his honour . ..read more here http://www.shpa.org.uk/introduction   and  http://www.shpa.org.uk/p-kohli-co-india    etc.

[johnralphcarpenter]

So, following those links, we see that Chris has closed down his seed business.