A 2 week impulse trip to Yunnan

[Maggi Young]

the pink shrub is a Leptodermis (Rubiaceae) but I don't know the species.

 Shot in the dark...... Leptodermis buxifolia 

[arisaema]

Thanks for the IDs! The Leptodermis is one to keep an eye out for, hopefully there's some ripe seeds as well when I go back in September I saw the same Salvia around Kangding if I'm not mistaken, other valleys had a yellow-flowered species, but for some strange reason they never seemed to occur together.

The hills had Cypripedium flavum in addition to the C. yunnanense, but we were a week too late, they were all wilted. I was surprised by how sunny and dry they both grew, it gave me some ideas for the garden.

The last pics from the hills below;

Cyp yunnanense
Polygonatum prattii
some sort of Asteraceae
a variegated Euphorbia
Cannabis sativa, a common weed all over Yunnan
Meconopsis forrestii or racemosa or whatever it's supposed to be called at the moment?
Incarvillea zhongdianensis (presumably), it grew alongside the Cyps and proved to be a useful indicator plant.

[arisaema]

...and a few pictures from the lake plain, grazed by yaks and horses. There were some stunning clumps of Stellera, all yellow (and sadly not fragrant like the pink form occuring further north).

[Lesley Cox]

What are the gorgeous blue and the white, in this last batch?

[dscherberich]

I don't know about Leptodermis buxifolia, it is supposed to occur between 1100-2100m in Gansu, SW Shaanxi and Sichuan ... but if you go there again in September it might be worth to make a voucher, it would certainly be most helpful.

The acaulescent asteraceae is a Dolomiaea, it could be D. edulis which I have already seen around the Zhongdian town ...

Indeed a friend also collected Salvia przewalskii in Kangding and said it was abundant. I have seen 3 other species in Zhongdian but these were very localised with few individuals including this one, of which I saw only one plant !

http://www.flickr.com/photos/52033111@N08/5523628795/in/set-72157626766125658

[arisaema]

Thanks again for the ID! The big-leaved Salvia is quite something, did you collect seeds from it? I recognize several of the plants on your Flickr, I'm guessing you went up the Nujiang? Wanted to go to Dulongjiang, but wasn't able to get a permit for travelling on the road, and the rain didn't make the 5 day uphill trek seem too tempting...

The pic of S. przewaldskii below was taken in late September, near the entrance of the Mugecou lake park in Kangding. It seems to prefer disturbed, gravelly soil, a typical roadside weed along with Impatiens. (Oddly enough I can't remember seeing a single Impatiens species in Zhongdian, maybe I was too early for them?)

Do you know the name of the yellow species? It grew in huge numbers in Hailuogou, Luding.

[arisaema]

What are the gorgeous blue and the white, in this last batch?

Erigeron, probably? I want to say Caltha for the white one, but FoC doesn't seem to have any white-flowered species... Maybe Ranunculus can chime in on it?

[Lesley Cox]

Sorry, I meant the first blue, the first picture in the batch of 5.

[dscherberich]

Yes I was very happy to find a few seeds. If you want I can spare some. So far the two plants I obtained have green leaves but they are still juvenile so I suppose (and hope) the color and shape will change when they grow up. Unfortunately I don't know the yellow Salvia you saw in Hailuogou. I have also seen Salvia digitaloides flowering a few years ago in Zhongdian but unfortunately last Autumn I couldn't locate the plants anymore.

You guessed right, we went to the Nujiang. We wanted to explore a road that went in the mountain to the border with Myanmar, just a few kilometers north of Fugong but we were stopped by policemen who though very friendly, told us that the road was closed to foreigners. And as for you, in Gongshan we were told that the chinese government had decided to close the road to Dulongjiang valley to foreigners. Neither were we tempted to make the trek under the rain but it is a big regret now so I think I have to go there again one day :-)

[WimB]

Wonderful plants, guys. Thanks for sharing.

Sorry, I meant the first blue, the first picture in the batch of 5.

Lesley, it's probably Lancea tibetica.

[Natalia]

arisaema, thanks for the great photos and travel notes!!
 Excellent ride and interesting plants!

 PS. I apologize for writing just now - in the summer, do not often visit the forum.

[Maggi Young]

Natalia, the forum is here for whenever the forumists want it! 

[cohan]

I haven't visited much lately- so thought I'd start by catching up on some travel! This thread was timely since I've been looking at Holubec's new seed list, which has some Chinese species, not all the same ones, but some overlap, including Lancea tibetica I was thinking about .. wonder how Lori's did last winter?
Thanks for the great photos
We sometimes drive to Red Deer (40 miles away) on impulse.. 

[Lori S.]

Hi, Cohan.  Glad to see you back in circulation - I've been wondering for a while if all was well there so I hope it is.  Lancea tibetica came through the winter just fine (it's herbaceous) and though it was in its second year, it didn't bloom... mildly spreading but not problematic as yet.

I collected some seeds that may be of interest to you (from discussions long ago on the NARGS forum)... if so, PM me, please, as I don't believe I have your address.

[cohan]

Hi, Cohan.  Glad to see you back in circulation - I've been wondering for a while if all was well there so I hope it is.  Lancea tibetica came through the winter just fine (it's herbaceous) and though it was in its second year, it didn't bloom... mildly spreading but not problematic as yet.

I collected some seeds that may be of interest to you (from discussions long ago on the NARGS forum)... if so, PM me, please, as I don't believe I have your address.

Thanks, Lori All is well- I'll make a longer answer in some more suitable thread!- good to hear the Lancea made it through-- though non-flowering would be more concerning than spreading...lol