Chris Chadwell
[This article was published by the SHPA (Sino-Himalayan Plant Association) and it was intended that it would also be published by the Androsace Group but it seems this intention was overtaken by events when the Androsace Group ceased activities! It clearly contains valuable information.]
The Spring 2005 issue of the 'Androsace Notebook' [No. 16] contains an article by Don Peace entitled 'Androsace sarmentosa - a further update', which was a follow-up to a piece by David Mowle about the 're-emergence' of this species in cultivation during the 1990s. I shall use this opportunity to make corrections, amendments and additions to his list of introductions [about half of which are my own] of what is believed to be true A. sarmentosa:
MECC 26 - collected by McKelvie, England, Carrie & Christie at 3200m in the Langtang, Nepal in 1997.
MECC 34 [from 3600m] and MECC 62 [from 4100m] - the author was not aware of any material still in cultivation raised from these collections.
According to 'Flora of Langtang' published by the Department of Medicinal Plants, Ministry of Forests, His Majesty's Government of Nepal [1976] Androsace sarmentosa was recorded from this valley on quite a number of occasions @ 2500-3960m between 1965 and 1972; the following description was given, "a herb with trailing stolons, growing on boulder strewn grassland; leaves sessile, elliptic-lanceolate or oblong, villous to tomentose with silvery grey hairs; flowers umbellate, on a long stalk; pedicels villous; corolla pink with yellow centre; capsules oblong, 3-5mm long. The authors recognised it as var. watkinsi according to Hooker in "Flora of British India Volume III p. 498. - on the basis of the specimens being laxly hairy or silky, scapes and stolons stout, leaves ½ -1 in., lanceolate or oblanceolate subsessile or sessile, pedicels ½ - 1½ in., much longer than involucral bracts; occurrence in Nepal.
Hooker considered A. sarmentosa to be a very variable plant, in size, habit, clothing, length, and shape of involucre. Leaves and number, length, and stoutness of pedicels; the calyx was hemispehric; corolla twice as broad, pale rose-purple with a yellowish eye, lobes broadly ovate, tips rounded, throat with a raised ring; capsule broadly oblong, valves entire; seeds few or many, oblong or subglobose, granulate. He recognised a further 3 other but stated that they had no precise limits:
var. grandiflora - pubscent or laxly hairy, stolons 0, scape stout, leaves very large, sometimes lin. diam. elliptic or lanceolate narrowed into the long or short petiole, bracts very small [syn. A. foliosa Klatt]; Tungu, Sikkim @ 13-14,000'.
var. primuloides - silkily villous, leaves as in var. watkinsi but often narrowed into a petiole and stolons [often absent] and scapes more slender; [syn. A. primuloides Duby]; Kumaon, 12,000'; Kashmir, Zanskar and Lahul @ 8-10,000'.
var. foliosa - leaves long-petioled, elliptic lin. diam; stolons 0?; scape slender; bracts small, linear [syn. A. foliolosa Duby]; Banehal, Kashmir
'CC407' is in fact CC&MR 407 - which is especially important since Magnus Ramsay, the joint-collector on the 1989 expedition which ended up in the north-west Himalaya [original destination Ladakh but serious unrest necessitated a change of plan], actually gathered the seed himself, whilst exploring alone. Collected at 3600m in the Solang Valley, Upper Kulu, Himachal Pradesh.
It was it seems listed in the On-Line Plant Finder in February 2000, but not seen or mentioned by any of the authors correspondents. Well, it certainly grew readily for a number of expedition shareholders and I have a slide taken in early 1990s in the Lincolnshire garden of the late Deidre Gardiner, showing that it had formed a large, though at that time non-flowering expanse. From this source, it grew well-enough (though never flowered) in open ground in the rear section of the Kohli Memorial Himalayan Garden. It would not surprise me if it is still alive and well in several gardens. In 1989 I considered it to be within A. sarmentosa, distinguishing it from similar androsaces encountered in the 1980s in Kashmir, which I understood to be A. primuloides but I now consider it most likely to be A. studiosorum.
'CC1063' is in fact CC&McK 1063 - which as is the case with the previous, was gathered by the joint-collector, Alistair McKelvie [ably assisted by Douglas Macnaughton] on the 1992 expedition which covered the Upper Indus and Ganesh Himal, Central Nepal, from where this collection hails. Alistair's field notes: "neat rosettes with spreading stolons and heads of pink flowers on 6cm stems; dry banks in Meilung Khola; 3650m.
CC1665 - this is correct, as far as collector's abbreviation and number are concerned, along with the date of the expedition, which in 1996 covered Kumaon, Langtang and Spiti; this introduction was from the Langtang Valley. There has been some confusion however, in that it came to Don as A. sarmentosa var. watkinsii - which is reasonable enough, based upon Hooker's description but for some reason "the books" tell us that this variety is synonymous with A. limprichtii a Chinese species! Can any SHPA members shed light on how the two could be confused? My field notes simply give A. sarmentosa, with no variety being mentioned but within the prospectus I did list A. sarmentosa var. watkinsii as likely to be found - based upon the information in the 'Flora of Langtang'.
CC2390 - again correct in basic details, from the 1997 expedition which covered Pakistan and Sikkim, from where this gathering was made by local collectors. The name provided of A. hookeriana was based upon the identification of an experienced Indian field-worker [formerly of the Lloyd Botanic Garden, Darjeeling, who had traveled with Professor Kara]. The mistake is, understandable, indeed within my notes which accompanied the seeds state, " ..resembles A. sarmentosa". Given the strictly limited reference books to-hand in this part of the world and description available in "Flora of British India", which gives Sikkim @ 12-14,000' as a location, then one can easily understand the thinking involved. According to the "Flora of Bhutan", the two are distinguished as follows, "A. sarmentosa - runners & scapes densely brownish pilose, spring leaves oblanceolate with broad petiole; A. hookeriana - runners and scapes sparsely-whitish pilose, spring leaves obovate, ovate or elliptic, almost spathulate with narrow petiole".
CC2627 - from the 1998 expedition covering Chitral and the extreme east of Nepal [close to the border with Sikkim]. There appears to have been a numbering error somewhere along the line, as some growers raised this as CC2727 but this number is not included in my field notes.
CC2813 - from the same expedition but listed as A. ?hookeriana not a firm A. hookeriana as Don suggests. The name stems from the same source as for CC2390, with the same or similar local collectors involved.
CC3845 - was gathered by Til Jung Rai as part of additional collections made in Nepal to add to the spoils from the main expedition to Kailash Himalaya; the accompanying notes: "possibly with affinities to A. geraniifolia".
CC4442 - was gathered by Til Jung Rai as part of supplementary collections made in Nepal during late 2002 and early 2003, to compensate for the exceptionally poor viability exhibited by the main expedition seed gathered in the Kanchenchunga Himal in autumn 2002; distributed simply as Androsace sp.
CC4480 - Don acquired a plant apparently raised from this collection made by Til Jung, which was a Primula. It is not normally the case that these genera are mixed-up in the field (though not impossible), even at the fruiting stage, so the explanation might be that either I made an error when numbering or the person who raised it did so. Other possibilities include a stray Androsace seed or two within the packet of Primula germinating, whilst the Primula did not - or even seeds going astray whilst a number of packets were sown [I have been guilty of this on occasions and probably happens more often than is realised]. It is unlikely that I mistook Primula seed for Androsace seed, though as I was still recovering from the after-effects of a troublesome kidney-stone, more errors/mistakes than normal might have been at play.
Baspa Valley collection by Margaret & Henry Taylor, which is in Kinnaur, Uttar Pradesh.
Hampta Pass collection by the Taylors, at 11,000' [3300m] in Kinnaur, erroneously labeled as 'Haran Pass'. Except that the Haran Pass is in the Baspa Valley, Kinnaur, whereas the Hampta is in the Kulu Valley! In the July 2005 issue of 'Androsace Group News', a correction is provided. Whilst it is good to see corrections announced, I think that significance of the correct names/locations is not always understood. The particular collection involved came from the Haran Pass [31*27'N; 78*15'E] and not the Hampta Pass [c.32*14'N; 77*20'E]. It is misleading to describe the Hampta Pass (which the Taylor's have crossed but apparently not made any Androsace introductions from) as not far away. Whilst in Himalayan terms (the main range is over 2000km long) and from the inspection of a small-scale map in the UK, the distance between the two locations may not seem significant, the Haran is within the Baspa, Kinnaur, Uttar Pradesh whilst the Hampta is in the Kulu Valley, Himachal Pradesh - another state. Given that the geology and aspects involved may well be very different [the Haran is on the south-facing, south-facing side of the Baspa & according to the Taylor's account of "Flowers of the Baspa Valley - In the footsteps of Ludlow & Sherriff (JSRGC 104[3] June 1999), "within and just above the treeline the silver rosettes on red runners of A. sarmentosa showered down from rock ledges and turf banks" - an elevation is not given but this would have been well below the pass at 3900m. Fascinatingly, they also mention a few patches of A. studiosorum. along with the 'West Himalayan Blue-poppy' (Meconopsis aculeata) is more stable ground close to riverside shingle below the Rupin Pass on the north-facing side of the Baspa! Whilst I recommend the article to SHPA members, I must just point out that to the best of my knowledge, neither Ludlow nor Sherriff ever set foot in the Baspa Valley, so the title is misleading. A skilled Lepcha (from Sikkim) called Tsongpen, who had received training from Sherriff, was given the task of searching for Primula obtusifolia in this valley in 1939 - which he located successfully, bringing back seed, along with a large number of pressed specimens of the highest quality, which illustrated the richness of the flora of the valley.
McK 1093 - this is a collection made in Himachal Pradesh by Alistair McKelvie but I do not have any location information; his collection numbers 1083-86 are given as 3300-3350m at Batal, Chandra river, on the border between Lahoul & Spiti. Don is pretty sure this comes within A. studiosorum - which does make sense.
The Androsace Group have published an article about A. studiosorum but I do not seem to have seen a copy, which is unfortunate, as I cannot comment upon the information there. When I explored in the Kashmir Valley in 1983 & '85 (CHP&W 100, 190; CC&MR 242) I initially named my collections of Androsace with leaf-blades longer than broad and stolons as A. sarmentosa but this was changed to A. primuloides, on the strength of R. Stewart's 'Annotated Catalogue of the Vascular Plants of West Pakistan [and Kashmir]' published in 1972, which was the best available guide at that time. The author had found this species very common in Kashmir at 3300-4200m, utilising the first published name A. primuloides Duby [1844], rather than A. sarmentosa Wall, ex Roxb. var. primuloides Hk.f [1882]. I have examined a pressed specimen of this species gathered by Ludlow & Sherriff at some 3600m near Mt. Haramukh [main Kashmir Valley] at the end of July 1940, "flowers vary almost pure white to deep rose, eye variable, yellow to red; open moorland & alpine pastures". Oleg Polunin found it in fruit on earthy banks at a similar location in September 1956.
Ethelbert Blatter, within Vol. II of "Beautiful Flowers of Kashmir" [which utilises fine water-colour illustrations by Mrs G. A. Wathen* and Haldar Joo Walli] considered that both A. primuloides and A. sarmentosa. Unfortunately, Blatter cannot be considered as any sort of authority. Errors abound in his volumes, however, it is worthwhile to be aware of his thinking. A simple key to species of Androsace found in Kashmir, seperates A. sarmentosa [which is illustrated] from A. primuloides. on the basis of linear bracts cf. lance-shaped out bracts plus pale pink-purple or rose-coloured flowers cf. flesh-coloured. Within the main text, A. primuloides is described as nearly related to A. sarmentosa. but can be distinguished by its unequal bracts of which some are small, others much larger.
He gives no specific locations for A. primuloides. whereas he notes A. sarmentosa from a number of sites on open rocky and scrubby hillside, 10,500'+, above the famous hill-station of Gulmarg and other parts of the Pir Panjal Range to the south-west of the Kashmir Valley.
Polunin & Stainton within "Flowers of the Himalaya"[1984] also used A. primuloides indicating that it was endemic to Kashmir [this does not tally with Hooker's assessment of material for ‘Flora of British India']; they also include Kashmir within the distribution of A. sarmentosa [Stewart does not mention this - even on the basis of any dubius records].
According to Polunin & Stainton, A. primuloides is distinguished from A. sarmentosa on the basis of the outer bracts of the umbels being lanceolate, not linear and the plant having more numerous and longer stolons to 12cm, with reddish-brown hairs. I have no pressed specimens of A. primuloides from Kashmir to refer to in the Kohli Memorial Herbarium, nor of CC&MR 407, which was initially named as A. sarmentosa, on the basis that it was seemed different from Kashmir material of A. primuloides and its occurrence in the upper Kulu valley of Himachal Pradesh, which unlike the main Kashmir Valley, does catch the edge of the monsoon, resulting in a much higher rainfall. If one refers to 'Primulaceae' no. 157 ‘Flora of Pakistan', Yasin Nasir [1984], the name A. studiosorum Kress published in 1982, is introduced, with A. primuloides being relegated to a synonym. Nasir comments, "The species is closely related to A. sarmentosa Wall. With which it has often been confused with or even treated as a variety [as by Hooker in 'Flora of British India']. It differs from that species in having leaves with a narrow petiole, broader bracts and the inflorescence with an indument of villous white hairs (in A. sarmentosa the hairs are brown and crisp). Both species overlap in their distribution in the W. Himalayan regions of Kumaon, Tehri-Garwhal, Lahul, Chamba and parts of W. Nepal, where plants exist which cannot with certainty be assigned to either species. There appear to be intermediates, where the characters of bract size and indument and indument colour are of an intermediary nature. In Kashmir the species A. studiosorum is fairly robust and variable in size, length of scape, number of flowers per umbel and density."
Certainly, the small picture of A. primuloides [now A. studiosorum] taken in Kashmir, which appears in "Flowers of the Himalaya" does, at a glance, appear distinct from that of A. sarmentosa. taken in Garwhal; the latter seems more compact. But this exposes the limitations of photographs. In the mid-1980s I led two botanical tours up the Miyah Nullah, Lahul, where I encountered, in flower, an Androsace which I took to be A. sarmentosa [a colour picture of this appears in issue 9 (July 1994) of our 'newsletter']. It grew in abundance and was flowering impressively in the grazed turf of our highest camp-site during July; I also have slides of it amongst dwarf juniper and in irrigated ground. It may just be down to the climatic differences between Lahul and the main Kashmir Valley but without further investigation I remain far from certain that these populations exactly match each other.
Some years later, during a similar trek, Margaret & Henry Taylor [also acting as tour leaders] gathered live material of an Androsace in the Miyah Nullah, which they identified as A. studiosorum; the form which they raised and displayed on rock garden society show benches, has been given the cultivar name 'Doksa', from the nearest settlement to where it was collected.
Most readers who have reached this point are likely to possess a copy of the AGS Guide to 'Androsaces' Smith & Lowe [1977]. They were similarly confused about A. sarmentosa/primuloides concluding, "the two species are very similar and a careful comparison of herbarium specimens by one of us [presumably G.F.Smith] failed to reveal any clear differences [differences exist but are not such that they would be noticeable to a gardener]. In fact their distribution overlaps in Kumaon, with A. primuloides extending west into Kashmir and A. sarmentosa east all the way to China and one wonders if the specific separation is really justified". Whilst the above is informative, I am somewhat puzzled why they were willing to state with certainty that the range of each species overlapped in Kumaon, when they could not tell "typical A. sarmentosa' from "typical A. primuloides". If they had reservations about the 'differences', these should have been voiced.
What the above illustrates is the complexity of plant variation. Much as we would all like plant recognition/identification to be easy and for everything to neatly fit into simple "pigeon-holes", whether they be genus, species, subspecies or variety, with the distinguishing characteristics involved to be readily recognisable by those with little or no training, that is often not the case. And deciding upon a field identification or even preliminary identification from a pressed specimen at the fruiting-stage gathered to accompany the seed collection, presents greater difficulties recognition-wise, than a specimen in full flower. Those living in Europe, especially the UK, have a false impression of the level of understanding of plants in the wild. Britain has a relatively-impoverished flora (in numerical terms), with more botanists (whether amateur or professional - albeit that the numbers of the latter are dwindling fast) per unit area than any other country in the world. We enjoy more floras (past and present) and better field-guides than anywhere. Whilst there is still plenty to record and understand, our country's flora is the best studied in the world. In most other parts of the world, including all Himalayan countries, the situation is vastly different, with hardly any field-botanists (and it has to be said, with the small number of professional botanists employed by the respective governments, seldom venturing into the field - there are honourable exceptions, though the situation is compounded, as in most countries, by insufficient importance being attached to field expertise, such that when one rising in seniority, this inevitably leads to fewer opportunities to escape from desk duties).
Furthermore, errors and mistakes [whether they be in numbering, labeling etc.] can be made at all stages of the process of introductions into cultivation and then growers and others can compound the confusion by making transcription errors and other mistakes themselves Few Himalayan plant explorers keep the detailed records that I do, or are as willing to devote the considerable time and effort involved to respond to any inquiries about my introductions. Yet few who amend any of the identification information I provide, ever contact me directly to check if there have been any amendments or corrections. If any sort of uncertainty is expressed as to the species name e.g. with a ? [in the 1980s I sometimes put aff. - a botanical term meaning "with affinities to" but this meant little] or even ??, then often this is simply deleted. If I leave a blank, a number of growers, usually with little or no expertise or knowledge as to correctly identifying plants will often name it themselves.