Chinese provinces of Sichuan and Yunnan

[Maggi Young]

At the moment, Edinburgh SRGC Group convenor, John Mitchell (who works at  the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh) is leading a trip to the Chinese provinces of Sichuan and Yunnan for the Alpine Garden Society. SRGC Treasurer  Richard G. and  his  wife  Jan are two of those on the trip.  Here are  some  of the  photos  John  has  posted  on Twitter  of the  trip so far ....





12th June  " When in Sichuan on tour with the AGS you have to make a visit to see the pandas, a little light relief before the main trip begins"

[Maggi Young]

13th June "What a start to the AGS tour to China Balang Shan never stops to impress. Here are a few highlight from Meconopsis,  Omphalgramma and the dark form of Cypripedium tibeticum."








Lilium lophophorum

[Maggi Young]

14th June  "Last day on the Balang Shan and did it deliver, never ever seen a white Omphalogramma before and the Meconopsis were out in full glory"

[Maggi Young]

16th June  "Have moved on to Tagong plateau and a few of the highlights were Stellera, Meconopsis and Dolomiaea.  Tibetan prayer chats were etched onto the rocks and boulders all down the river"






Dolomiaea - perhaps D. forrestii

[Maggi Young]

17th June  "Moved to Kanding and spent the day on Zheduo pass. 2 highlights were Primula melanantha & Pedicularis variegatea (?) and some more meconopsis."




Pedicularis przewalskii ssp cristata




Androsace

[Maggi Young]

Now  pix from  Richard Green  18th June  "Meconopsis integrifolia by a glacial stream feeding the Grey Lake above Kanding, China, photographed earlier today. If you look closely you will see the rest of the AGS tour members making their way up the valley where we found many other good plants."



Richard  Green 19th June    "Another one from the Grey Lake, Kangding with more yellow Meconopsis integrifolia on show. Sorry about the finger on the lens. We also found blue Mec. henrici and some lovely spikey Meconopsis  rudis further up on the screes below the snow on the coll. No we didn't quite get to the tops which are over 18000 feet high."



Richard 21st June  "We are currently at 12000 feet at Litang in Sichuan. Having a great time with stunning plants and scenery."


 Primula sikkimensis in a seasonally wet hollow at the Scissors Pass, near Litang, China, taken earlier today.

[Maggi Young]

John Mitchell 21st  June "Last time on Zhedu pass and the Rheum and Astragalus were the two of the highlights"

[Maggi Young]

John M. 21st June  : "Heading over Gaoersi pass 4412m Cypripedium guttatum and Incarvillea were the two special plants seen today "

[Maggi Young]

John M. 21st "Today we reached 4625m on Scissor pass and growing on top of the pass Pleurospermum, Ajuga and Lamiopholmis"

[shelagh]

Wonderful pictures thank you. I particularly liked the Pedicularis.

[ruweiss]

Simply beautiful, thaks for showing.

[Lawrence]

Incredible pictures and like Shelagh I love the Pedicularis, is it in cultivation?

[t00lie]

Wow !  Thanks for posting.

Whats the breathing like at 4625m Richard ?.

Cheers Dave.

[Maggi Young]

From John Mitchell's Tweet 22nd June   "Quiet day today visited Qingker monastery and then went to the open meadows and found Androsace bisulca var aurata which was found 25 years ago on the ACE expedition which was funded by the AGS. Great to see it again in the wild and growers are still growing it.

[Maggi Young]

John Mitchell on 18th June  : Went to grey lake just south of Kanding and walked up into the mountains at the back and found Rhodiola, Meconopsis rudis and a new location for Chionocharis hookeri