Western Sichuan (and W Yunnan), September/October 2010

[arisaema]

My second trip to China was in September and October of last year, there obviously isn't that much to see in flower, but it's still a great time to visit: the weather is (usually) dry and sunny, and it's still reasonably warm on the plateau. (...and, if you're lucky and get there before the grazing yaks and/or Czechs, there may be a few seeds to find... )

Litang

Litang is a small, noisy and distinctly Tibetan town lying at a dizzying altitude of 4014 meters. It's probably best known for it's monastery, for being a necessary rest stop on the "Tibetan Highway", and for its sky buryals, which (sadly) has been turned into a bit of a tourist attraction for the many backpackers that pass thru on their way to Yunnan...

I travelled with a public bus from Kangding, in itself a bit of an experience, complete with live chickens in cages, old ladies vomiting out of the windows, **s-killing seats on incredibly bumpy roads, and the (for China) usual slew of chain-smokers happily puffing away (myself included). The ride takes anywhere from 8 to 12 hours depending on the road conditions (and the number of broken down trailers), with bi-hourly stops at public rest rooms that are best left to the imagination.

[arisaema]

Walking up-hill is a bit of a drag at 4000m so I was planning on taking the shortest possible route, but as soon as I reached the front of the monastery an old Tibetan lady pointed me in the opposite direction, you're apparently supposed to walk around them in a counter-clockwise direction. The area outside the monastery walls was heavily grazed, which ment the only plants left were either unpalatable (Ligularia and Rumex), weedy (a nice, pale sulphur dandelion) or poisonous (Aconitum gymnandrum and Przewalskia tangutica).

[arisaema]

Being tall and white often makes you a bit of a tourist attraction in China, the three young monks below came running and shouting wanting to chat. I only know a handful of words in Chinese (beer, toilet, food - the most essential ), but with some finger language I learned that they were (if I remember correctly) 15 and 16.

Half an hour and a welcome break later, and I finally reached the hill. The soil was bone dry and chalky, but must be moister in spring and summer, as there was a fair bit of moss covering the cliffs.

Anyone know the name of the tiny, pink Labitae?

Also below;

Cyananthus hookeri (I think?)
Sedum sp.
Ligularia or Cremanthodium
Ephedra and Cotoneaster
Ephedra

[arisaema]

The cliff had a lovely Gentiana growing on it as well, maybe someone can identify it?

[arisaema]

The big clumps of Stellera chamaejasme had already dropped their seeds and started dying down.

The huge leaves belong to a Ligularia species, and is an extremely common sight all over the Sichuanese and Yunnanese Tibetan plateau.

Also below, another couple of Gentiana species, a Cyananthus and a Pedicularis.

[Maggi Young]

The cliff had a lovely Gentiana growing on it as well, maybe someone can identify it?

Perhaps a pale - and very lovely - form of G. hexaphylla?
Hannelotte Kindlund has some photos..... http://www.abc.se/~m8449/Gentiana.html#Kudoa



Hmm... edit after looking at foliage on cliff gentian... only four part leaves  not six......

[arisaema]

The flowers look similar, but I think the leaves are wrong, at least if what I grow as G. hexaphylla really is that species... It's another one of those genera wih too many plants to choose from, some 250 in China alone 

Also, apologies for the quality of some of these pics, quite a few are terribly over-exposed, but at least they give some idea of what's in flower at that time of year.

Spenceria ramalana ssp. ramalana
Saussurea sp.
Saussurea stella
Lomatogonium sp.
Comastoma sp.
Cyananthus sp.

[arisaema]

...and a lot more unidentified Gentiana species.

[dscherberich]

Thank you for the nice pictures!
The tall Ligularia could be Ligularia cymbulifera which is common in NW Yunnan as well as Western Sichuan ...

[Maggi Young]

I think the Comastoma in pic xDSCF2403 is C. falcata.... which I know as Gentiana falcata.

Comastoma falcatum (Turcz.) Toyok. is the accepted name but some of us... including the McCaugheys, writing in the 'International Rock Gardener'  of March 2011, still think of it as G. falcata. 

[Maggi Young]

A warm welcome to you 'dscherberich'. It is good to have you join the Forum.

[arisaema]

...and the final pics from Litang

There's loads more pictures, but I'm not sure if there's anything really interesting to post, most of what's in flower that time of year belong to the Gentianaceae... There's quite a few forest pictures, some Rhodos in leaf, and a few pictures from the nursery of one of the Chinese Paphiopedilum dealers. (I should probably add that I've never grown a single Paph, but I had a great time with the man and his family.)

[arisaema]

Thanks for the comments, and for the IDs, Comastoma falcatum and Ligularia cymbulifera do indeed look right! Must remember to look for seeds of the Comastoma this autumn, I quite like the Ligularia with it's gigantic foliage as well, but introducing that may prove to be a very bad idea...

[dscherberich]

You are welcome We tried the Ligularia here but it proved impossible to grow under our climate.
Thank you Margaret!

[Lesley Cox]

What magnificent country Arisaema. I can see why you'd want to go back in the spring.

The problem (for me) with public rest rooms that are best left to the imagination, is that I immediately DO imagine them, and wish I hadn't or couldn't.

The Cyananthus in Replies 4 and 6 could be C. longiflorus which I grew for several years and had a little seed from but it has gone now. It was my favourite.