Chinese provinces of Sichuan and Yunnan

[Yann]

Magnificience is the only word that pops into my mind, great travel 

[Richard Green]

Dave,
Everyone is having trouble of some sort, mild headaches, and stopping to gasp for breath after moving too quickly uphill. The worst is to kneel down, hold your breath whilst taking a photo and then standing up. This causes immediate dizziness and in some cases can cause fainting. We are being careful. It's the only place that hotel rooms are equipped with oxygen tubes as standard, and there is a permanent white coated Oxygen Manager on 24 hour standby in the lobby!

[Maggi Young]

From Richard 23rd : "We stopped on our way south from Litang and this area of limestone yak-grazed grassland was an absolute garden. Can you spot Incarvillea, Androsace, Polygonum, Stellera and others?"

[Maggi Young]

John Mitchell 23rd June  : " Leaving Litang and heading down to Daocheng over Meizishan pass 4750 and found Solmslaubachia, Primula & Androsace - all new to me on this pass"

[t00lie]

Dave,
Everyone is having trouble of some sort, mild headaches, and stopping to gasp for breath after moving too quickly uphill. The worst is to kneel down, hold your breath whilst taking a photo and then standing up. This causes immediate dizziness and in some cases can cause fainting. We are being careful. It's the only place that hotel rooms are equipped with oxygen tubes as standard, and there is a permanent white coated Oxygen Manager on 24 hour standby in the lobby!

Thanks for the insight Richard, it sounds quite an adventure.Travel safe.

Cheers Dave.

[Maggi Young]

Let's see  if  John Mitchell's  video clips  will be  viewable  from these  links ..

AGS tour members getting ready to tackle the screes at 4500m at Hong Shan   
 http://twitter.com/i/status/1143515730744418304

Still in Hong Shan and today we found the king of Rheums R nobile 4500m the icing on the cake and well worth the walk to see it
http://twitter.com/i/status/1143808068125429760

Super  little  rhododendrons around the  Rheum !

[Maggi Young]

More  from  John....
 25th June  "Hong Shan and the plant of the day Corydalis benecincta again another plant reintroduced from the ACE expedition 1994 great to see again on the screes in abundance"


 "Hong Shan 4300m Corydalis hamata, Primula boreiocalliantha growing under Rhodo. roxieanum Forests and lovely meadow of Primula sikkimensis & secundiflora"

[Maggi Young]

"In hong Shan and this place is a must on a tour in Sichuan Saussurea leucoma , Cremanthodium decaisne & Meconopsis rudis all over 4500m"







"AGS China group photo snuggled next Rheum nobile in Hong Shan"

[Maggi Young]

Tweets  by  John Mitchell today - some  photos and a  link to a  little  video.....

 Last day in Hong Shan and two very nice Corydalis melanochlorea & C.  calicola








Last day in Hong Shan and we found the rare Fritillaria delavayi growing in the screes and also nice to see young plants growing around it
 https://twitter.com/i/status/1144231138006712321

[Leucogenes]

Long overdue... also from me some words of enthusiasm. The shown pictures confirm my opinion that perhaps the most beautiful plants inhabit the screes... no matter if in Asia, America or NZ. What beautiful little treasures... unbelievable. The happy faces of the expedition members say everything.

Thank you very much for passing it on... Maggi.

[Richard Green]

We spent an idyllic day in the high screes of the Hong Shan, and some of us actually cuddled the Rheum nobile with delight, they are such characterful plants. It was also very good to see masses of seedlings at this location. Clearly they are not harvested as happens in many other places.

I have not added any more Corydalis pics as John Mitchell's are sufficient, but it was wonderful to see the blue and purple splodges all over the hillside in such profusion.

[Maggi Young]

Richard 28th June  " Primula secundiflora in my garden today - I wish! No, actually this was on the way to Tianchi Lake near Shangri La earlier today."

[Maggi Young]

From John ...

"Tianchi lake today and 25 years exactly to the month the Ace expedition visited this area but this time we had jeeps on Ace we had to walk the last mile Lilium soulei and Adonis davidii brought back to cultivation from expedition"





and  another  video .... "A final look at Hong Shan and some remarkable plant etched into memories a wonderful place"
https://twitter.com/i/status/1144382218787332102

[Maggi Young]

From Mark Matthews on Twitter, who is  also on this tour ....

"Discovered a new species of Helianthus in the depths of China"




New  discovery  on @Alpinegardensoc tour  in Chin lead  by @jmitchell_RBGE - I'm  looking  forward to the  write-ups  of this!

[Gabriela]

Incredible scenery and plants, a trip to be remembered!

Lucky for us that were able to follow and enjoy it even if virtually - many thanks to all!