NE Turkey

[Gerdk]

Here are some pics from a fourteen days trip - May 23th to June 6th - to the Pontus Range of Turkey (with the exception of some photos made near Erzerum). I had the fortune to join a four persons excursion which was guyded by my friend Erich Pasche, one of the best experts for the Turkish flora.
 1   Zigana pass
 2   Trollius ranunculinus / Zigana
 3   Viola altaica ssp. oreades / Zigana
 4   Cyclamen parviflorum / Zigana
 5   Anemone blanda / Zigana
 6   Gentiana verna ssp. pontica / Zigana
 7   Primula algida / Zigana
 8   Daphne glomerata / Zigana
 9   Caltha polypetala / Camlibel
10  Caltha polypetala / Camlibel

Gerd Knoche
Solingen, Germany

[Gerdk]

Here are the next ones:

11  Epipactis veratrifolia / moist rocks near the Choruh River
12  near Savsat (to Camibel)
13  Scilla rosenii / Camlibel
14  Scilla rosenii / Camlibel
15  Alkanna orientalis / Demirkent
16  Salikör Yayla
17  Iris elegantissima / near Erzurum
18  Phelypea tournefortii / an Orobanchaceae near Erzurum
19  Tulipa species / near Erzurum
20  Geranium tuberosum (? macrostylum) near Erzurum

Gerd Knoche
Solingen, Germany

[Gerdk]

The rest:

21  Veronica oltensis / Demirkent
22  Glaucium corniculatum / way to Erzurum
23  Campanula trogerae / Altiparmak
24  Primula sibthorpii / above Artvin
25  Rhododendron ponticum / near Ovit Pass
26  Rhododendron luteum / Ovit Pass
27  Rhododendron luteum / Ovit Pass
28  Sedum species and lichens / Ovit Pass
29  Paeonia mascula ssp. arietina
30  Erich Pasche (in action)

Gerd Knoche
Solingen, Germany

[David Nicholson]

Gerd, beautiful pictures of some gorgeous views and plants in a beautiful part of the world. Thanks for sharing them.

[hadacekf]

Gerd,
Thanks for the great pictures of plants from Turkey; I have good memories of some places.

[Maggi Young]

Gerd, thank you for these great photos... we are pleased to be able to "join" you on this trip!
I see that our friend Erich Pasche is still using his favourite camera even in rather steep places!
This great man is a good friend to many and a tremendous inspriation to us all... how fortunate you are to have been able to make this trip in his company!
It seems you were able to see a good number of fine plants. I am particularly taken with the strong red Phelypea tournefortii which I must say I have not seen before. I find such plants very interesting indeed.
Can you say which plants it was growing in association with?

[t00lie]

Wonderful shots Gerd.

I'm particularly interested in the photos of Scilla rosenii as i have a couple of bulbs grown from seed in 2003 that had healthy foliage last season however are yet to flower.Fingers crossed for this spring because your pics show it to be a beauty.

Cheers Dave.

[Anthony Darby]

Dave said: "I'm particularly interested in the photos of Scilla rosenii as i have a couple of bulbs grown from seed in 2003 that had healthy foliage last season however are yet to flower.Fingers crossed for this spring because your pics show it to be a beauty."

I seem to remember this species needs a cold winter and spring otherwise its flowers open at ground level, like mine?

[t00lie]

Thanks Anthony --i remember your comments as well about a cold winter /spring.I think it was mentioned in one of Ian's Bulb Log entries.

The bulbs are in a cool position --a trough which currently only receives a couple of hours sunlight.

I'm just hopeful of any sign of flowering at all .Having achieved that i can then worry about whether the plants need moving to a much colder spot.

Cheers Dave. 

[Kees Jan]

Hi Gerd and others,

How nice to see how the season advances in NE Turkey!! I was there a couple of weeks earlier with friends from Norway and the Netherlands. We had a great trip, partly due to Erich Pasche's excellent advice and suggestions!

I uploaded some pictures under plant identifications, topic NE Turkey . I hope you will be able to help us identify a few of them. Here are a few pictures of the the saxifrages that grow in the Pontic Alps:

S. paniculata ssp. cartilaginea
S. kotschyi
S. cymbalaria

Other species that we found during this trip are S. sibirica, S. tridactylites, S. rotundifolia and S. exarata

[Thomas Huber]

Hi Gerd!

Great to have you back - wonderful photos from the wild!

Seems like you're advanced in using the new camera.

[Gerdk]

Thank you alltogether for the nice responds.

To Maggi: Phelypea (sometimes written Phelipea) tournefortii grows on the roots of Achillea and Tanacetum species. The photo sof this plant also shows the annual Asperula orientalis

To the Scilla rosenii: we found it at the elevation of around 2600 m. The snow has melted recently (May 30 th!). The soil was very wet at some places, but this seems to be no must because we saw it growing on a gentle sloping hill in somewhat less wetter positions. According Erich Pasche in summer  the region experiences a humid climate, in winter there is a regular snowcover. The soil is limefree.

To Kees Jan:
Sorry I am only able to identify the Epimedium which is colchicum. The violet is a member of the (tricky) riviniana/reichenbachiana/sieheana complex. Unfortunately the genus viola for this region is not well documentated.

Gerd Knoche
Solingen, Germany

[Maggi Young]

Thank you, Gerd. I am most interested in orobanche and pedicularis sps.... not that we are able to grow many, but I find them fascinating.

[I.S.]

    When I have seen all these nice plants from my country I couldn't do without posting my pics which have taken last week from Istanbul NW. Turkey. 

 alibeyköy barrage in Istanbul
 Cistus creticus alibeyköy barajı
 Cistus salvifolius alibeyköy barajı
 Cistus salvifolius alibeyköy barajı
 Cytinus hypocistis alibeyköy barajı
 Lavandula Stoechas alibeyköy baraji
 Rosa canina alibeyköy barajı

[I.S.]

   And a few more which I couldn't identify. If anybody can tell the correct name!. I would be content..
   I thant to everybody for nice plants pictures..
   
   Regard...
   
   ibrahim..