Tag:

Alpine (>3500 m)

Polygonaceae

Rheum australe

by G & P Jürgens

D. Don

Nepal 99 583 ergebnis
West-Nepal Garpung-Khola 3500m, July

Description

Rheum australe, the Himalayan rhubarb, ranges along the Himalaya from Pakistan through India, Nepal and Bhutan into south-western China (Tibet), with the bulk of its roughly 210 GBIF records falling within this arc; occurrences in Germany, the United States, France, Belgium, Norway, Romania and Sweden derive from cultivation and herbarium accessions. It grows on open alpine and subalpine slopes, in moist rocky meadows, along stream banks and amid boulder fields, generally between 3000 and 4300 m. The photographed plant from the Garpung-Khola valley of West Nepal at 3500 m in July reflects its typical mid-summer growth on damp, high-elevation slopes.

It is a robust, tall perennial herb arising from a thick, woody, reddish rhizome and stout root. The large basal leaves are broadly ovate to orbicular-cordate, with palmate venation, an entire to undulate margin and long, reddish, fleshy petioles. The erect, hollow, often reddish flowering stem reaches one to two metres and bears a large, branched, paniculate inflorescence of small flowers with a dark red to purplish perianth of six segments. The fruit is a broadly winged, ovate-elliptic trigonous achene, the three reddish wings aiding wind dispersal across open terrain.

Rheum australe (long known as R. emodi) is the principal medicinal rhubarb of the Himalaya, its rhizome rich in anthraquinones and valued in traditional systems for digestive and purgative use. Sustained harvesting for the herbal trade, combined with slow regeneration in the alpine zone, has raised conservation concern, and the species is regarded as vulnerable to over-collection across parts of its range, prompting cultivation efforts.

Author: D. Don · Sources: POWO (Kew), GBIF, Flora of China, Flora of Bhutan, Annotated Checklist of the Flowering Plants of Nepal, Rheum (rhubarb) taxonomic monograph

Polygonaceae

Rheum moorcroftianum

by G & P Jürgens

Royle

Garw 2005 324 ergebnis
India Garhwal Bagubasa 4100m, September

Description

Rheum moorcroftianum is a high-alpine rhubarb of the Western and Central Himalaya, ranging from Pakistan and Kashmir eastward through the Indian Himalaya (including Garhwal) and Nepal to the Tibetan plateau of China; GBIF records 129 occurrences across China, Nepal and India (with stray data points). It is a plant of open alpine slopes, screes, stabilised moraines, glacial flats and grazed meadows generally between 3500 and 5000 m, where it withstands intense insolation, drought and a short growing season. The illustrated specimen from Bagubasa in Garhwal at 4100 m in September shows the plant in its post-flowering, fruiting state at the close of the alpine summer.

It is a low, stout, often almost stemless perennial herb developing from a thick woody rhizome and tap-root. The conspicuous radical leaves form a flattened rosette and are orbicular to ovate-cordate, leathery, the blade prominently reticulate-veined and frequently flushed red or with reddish margins and undersides; petioles are short and stout. The inflorescence is a congested, scapose panicle scarcely exceeding the leaves, bearing numerous small flowers with usually six greenish to reddish perianth segments. The fruit is a broadly winged trigonous achene, the three membranous wings reddish-tinged and conspicuously veined, an adaptation aiding wind and surface dispersal across open terrain.

The species belongs to Rheum (Polygonaceae), a genus centred on the high mountains of Central Asia and the Sino-Himalaya. Its dwarf, ground-hugging rosette habit is a classic adaptation to the cold, windswept alpine environment, contrasting with the giant "glasshouse" rhubarbs such as R. nobile. Like other Himalayan Rheum it is locally harvested for medicinal roots and is subject to grazing pressure, but its wide range and remote habitat mean it is not currently considered threatened.

Author: Royle · Sources: POWO (Kew), GBIF, Flora of China Vol. 5, Flora of Pakistan, Flora of Nepal, A Revision of the Genus Rheum (Losina-Losinskaja)

Polygonaceae

Rheum nobile

by GP Jürgens

Hook. f. & Thomson

Sikkim2011 328
Sikkim Lada-La 4400m, June
Sikkim2003 309 G438
Sikkim Saniti-Lake 4300m August
Sikkim2003 310 W439
Sikkim Saniti-Lake 4300m August

Description

Rheum nobile, the Sikkim or noble rhubarb, is a spectacular high-alpine perennial of the eastern Himalaya, distributed from Nepal through Sikkim and northern India into Bhutan, Myanmar and south-western China, with around 220 occurrence records. It is a strict specialist of open alpine screes, moraines and rocky slopes, typically between about 4000 and 4800 m. The images derive from Sikkim at Lada-La (4400 m, June) and near Saniti Lake (4300 m, August), localities characteristic of the high, exposed scree habitat in which this iconic "glasshouse plant" grows.

The species forms a stout, columnar flowering spike to about 1-2 m, arising from a thick taproot. Its most striking feature is the dense, overlapping series of large, translucent, straw-coloured to pale yellow bracts that sheathe the entire inflorescence, hiding the small flowers within. The basal leaves are large, broadly ovate to orbicular and reddish-margined, forming a rosette. The numerous small flowers are greenish and inconspicuous, concealed beneath the bracts, and develop into small, three-winged nutlets (achenes) typical of the genus.

Rheum nobile (Polygonaceae) is a classic example of a Himalayan "greenhouse" or glasshouse plant: the translucent bracts trap solar heat and create a warm, sheltered microclimate that protects the developing flowers from cold, wind and intense ultraviolet radiation while attracting and harbouring specialist pollinating midges. This remarkable adaptation, much studied in plant ecophysiology, makes the species a celebrated model of high-altitude floral biology. Though localised, it is of least conservation concern, but its restriction to a narrow alpine belt makes it potentially vulnerable to climatic warming.

Author: Hook. f. & Thomson · Sources: POWO (Kew), GBIF, Flora of China, Flora of Bhutan, Annotated Checklist of the Flowering Plants of Nepal, Losina-Losinskaja monograph of Rheum

Crassulaceae

Rhodiola bupleuroides 

by G & P Jürgens

(Wall. ex Hook. f. & Thomson) Fu

Nepal 99 839 ergebnis
West-Nepal Baga-La-Phedi 4000m, July

Description

Rhodiola bupleuroides is a perennial succulent herb of the high Himalaya and the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, recorded by GBIF from China, Nepal, India, Bhutan and Myanmar across roughly 956 occurrences, with additional cultivated or erroneous records from Europe. It is a plant of alpine and subalpine habitats, growing on rocky slopes, screes, cliff ledges, grassy turf and the margins of alpine scrub, generally from about 3000 to over 5000 m. The plant photographed at Baga-La-Phedi in west Nepal at about 4000 m, flowering in July at the height of the brief alpine summer, is typical of these cold, exposed, well-drained sites.

The plant arises from a stout, woody, branched caudex topped by a swollen rootstock, from which emerge several erect or ascending unbranched flowering stems. The leaves are alternate, sessile, flat and fleshy, elliptic to oblong or obovate, with an entire to obscurely toothed margin, recalling the foliage of Bupleurum as the epithet suggests. The species is dioecious, the small flowers crowded in a dense terminal corymbose cyme; they are usually four- to five-merous, the petals dark red, purplish or greenish-yellow, with the staminate and pistillate flowers on separate plants. The fruit is a cluster of erect follicles that split to shed numerous minute seeds.

Rhodiola, segregated from Sedum, is a characteristic genus of cold high-mountain and arctic regions, and R. bupleuroides is one of the most widespread Himalayan-Tibetan species, displaying considerable variation in stature, leaf shape and flower colour. Several Rhodiola species are harvested for traditional medicine and adaptogenic compounds, and the genus as a whole is of pharmacological interest. The dioecious breeding system and dependence on cold alpine conditions make it a useful indicator of high-elevation environments under climatic change, and harvesting pressure affects some related taxa.

Author: (Wall. ex Hook. f. & Thomson) Fu · Sources: POWO (Kew), GBIF, Flora of China, Flora of Bhutan, Ohba revision of Himalayan Crassulaceae (Rhodiola/Sedum), Annotated Checklist of the Flowering Plants of Nepal

Crassulaceae

Rhodiola coccinea

by G & P Jürgens

(Royle) Boriss.

Nepal 99 286 ergebnis
West-Nepal Kalmura 4200m, June

Description

Rhodiola coccinea (Royle) Boriss. is a high-alpine succulent of the stonecrop family ranging across the mountains of Central and High Asia, recorded by GBIF in 818 occurrences from China (CN), Nepal (NP), India (IN), Pakistan (PK), Afghanistan (AF) and Bhutan (BT) westward through Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Russia and Mongolia. It is a plant of rock crevices, screes, moraines and stony alpine turf at very high elevations. It was photographed in West Nepal at Kalmura at 4200 m in June, well within the upper alpine zone where it endures intense radiation, drought and frost.

The plant grows from a stout, branched, woody caudex crowned with persistent papery leaf-bases, from which arise numerous short, densely leafy flowering stems. The leaves are small, fleshy, sessile, linear to oblong and entire or minutely toothed, crowded along the stems. As in many Rhodiola the species tends toward dioecy, with male and female flowers usually borne on separate plants in compact terminal cymes; the small flowers have four or five sepals and petals, the latter typically dark red to purplish, giving the epithet coccinea. The fruit is a cluster of erect, several-seeded follicles.

Formerly placed in a broadly circumscribed Sedum, Rhodiola is now well established as a distinct genus characterised by the persistent caudex and frequently unisexual flowers, an adaptation to the harsh, pollinator-poor alpine environment. Several Rhodiola species, notably R. rosea, are harvested for adaptogenic compounds, and high-elevation taxa such as this are of interest as cold- and drought-tolerant models. Its remote, rocky habitat affords some protection, though localised harvesting and climate change threaten alpine cushion communities.

Author: (Royle) Boriss. · Sources: POWO (Kew), GBIF, Flora of China, Flora of Nepal, Rhodiola monograph (Ohba; Crassulaceae of the Himalaya)

Crassulaceae

Rhodiola crenulata

by GP Jürgens

(Hook.f. & Thomson) H.Ohba

BhutanPG2011 537 ergebnis
Bhutan, Tem-Tso 4640m, June
BhutanPG2011 538 ergebnis
Bhutan, Tem-Tso 4640m, June
Bhutan Ludlow-Sherriff-Trail Dem-Tso, 4650m June

Description

Rhodiola crenulata (Hook.f. & Thomson) H.Ohba is a succulent perennial of the high Himalaya and Tibetan plateau, distributed across China, Nepal, India, Bhutan and Pakistan. It is recorded from Bhutan at Tem-Tso and along the Ludlow-Sherriff trail near Dem-Tso between 4640 and 4650 m, flowering in June, exemplifying its strict confinement to the upper alpine zone. The species colonises rocky alpine meadows, scree, cliff ledges, moraine and well-drained gravelly slopes, generally between 4000 and 5600 m, where it withstands extreme cold, desiccating winds and high ultraviolet flux. Its roughly 484 GBIF records confirm a genuine but specialised high-elevation presence.

The plant arises from a stout, branched, woody caudex and thick fleshy rootstock that is reddish or yellowish within and aromatic. Numerous short, erect flowering stems bear crowded, sessile, glaucous leaves that are oblong to obovate and crenulate to dentate at the apex, giving the epithet. The species is usually dioecious, the flowers grouped in dense terminal corymbose cymes; they are small and typically four- to five-merous, with petals ranging from deep red and pink to greenish-white, the staminate flowers showing exserted stamens. The fruit is a cluster of erect, several-seeded follicles that turn red at maturity.

Rhodiola crenulata belongs to the genus Rhodiola, segregated from Sedum and centred on the cold deserts and alpine zones of Asia. The thick rhizome, rich in salidroside, rosavin and related compounds, makes it the principal source of "hong jing tian" in Tibetan and Chinese medicine, and intensive wild harvesting for the adaptogen trade has driven serious population decline across parts of its range. Slow growth at extreme altitude renders it especially vulnerable, prompting growing interest in cultivation and sustainable management.

Author: (Hook.f. & Thomson) H.Ohba · Sources: POWO (Kew), GBIF, Flora of China, Flora of Bhutan, Sedum and Rhodiola of the Himalaya (Ohba), Crassulaceae monograph (Ohba)

Crassulaceae

Rhodiola cretinii

by GP Jürgens

(Raym.-Hamet) H. Ohba

BhutanPG2011 280
Bhutan Jule-Tso, 4100m June
BhutanPG2011 520
Bhutan Jule-Tso, 4100m June

Description

Rhodiola cretinii is a high-alpine succulent perennial of the Himalaya and adjacent Tibetan region, recorded from China, Nepal, India and Bhutan, with around 140 occurrences in GBIF. It is a plant of the upper alpine zone, growing on rocky slopes, screes, cliff ledges, moraines and stony turf, typically well above the treeline between about 3800 and 5000 m. The photographed material was collected in Bhutan at Jule-Tso at 4100 m in June, an elevation and rocky alpine setting fully consistent with the genus's affinity for cold, exposed, free-draining high-mountain ground.

The plant arises from a stout, fleshy, often woody caudex or rootstock crowned with the persistent remains of old leaf-bases. The flowering stems are short and erect, densely clothed with small, fleshy, alternate, sessile leaves that are flat to terete and entire or finely toothed at the apex. The flowers are crowded into a compact terminal cyme; like many alpine Rhodiola the species tends to be dioecious or functionally unisexual, the small flowers with greenish-yellow to reddish, often four- to five-merous perianths. The fruit is a cluster of erect to spreading follicles, each splitting to release numerous minute seeds.

Rhodiola, segregated from Sedum, comprises crassulacean stonecrops specialised for cold, arid and high-elevation habitats, employing succulence and a perennating caudex to survive harsh alpine winters. Several Himalayan species are harvested for traditional medicine, and although R. cretinii is not prominently exploited, slow-growing alpine perennials of this kind are inherently vulnerable to over-collection and habitat disturbance. Its compact cushion-like growth and dense leafy stems are typical adaptations to wind exposure, intense radiation and a short growing season.

Author: (Raym.-Hamet) H. Ohba · Sources: POWO (Kew), GBIF, Flora of China, Flora of Bhutan, Rhodiola monograph (Ohba)

Crassulaceae

Rhodiola fastigiata

by GP Jürgens

(Hook. f. & Thomson) S.H. Fu

Bh09 103 P181
Bhutan Jimilangtso, 4000m June
Garh 07 455 ergebnis
Garhwal Khiar-Kutti 3840m, June
Garh 07 538.7JPG ergebnis
Garhwal Khiar-Kutti 3840m, June

Description

Rhodiola fastigiata is a widespread high-alpine succulent of the Himalaya and the Sino-Himalayan ranges, well represented by some 724 georeferenced collections spanning China (CN), Nepal (NP), India (IN), Pakistan (PK), Bhutan (BT) and Myanmar (MM), with peripheral records from Mongolia (MN) and Afghanistan (AF). It is a plant of the upper subalpine and alpine zones, characteristically between roughly 3500 and 5000 m, colonising rocky slopes, screes, cliff ledges, moist alpine turf and the margins of snow-melt rills. The populations illustrated from Jimilangtso in Bhutan at about 4000 m and from Khiar-Kutti in Garhwal at 3840 m, both flowering in June, typify its occurrence in open, well-drained, high-elevation habitats.

It is a perennial herb arising from a stout, scaly, often branched caudex and thickened rootstock. Several erect, unbranched, fleshy flowering stems are produced, densely clothed throughout their length with crowded, overlapping, sessile leaves; these are narrowly oblong to linear-oblong, flat, entire or minutely toothed, somewhat glaucous and fleshy, giving the shoots a neat fastigiate aspect that gives the species its name. The inflorescence is a dense terminal corymb of small flowers, usually functionally dioecious, with five reddish to purplish-red sepals and petals; the staminate flowers bear ten stamens. The fruit is a cluster of erect, reddish, several-seeded follicles.

Rhodiola (Crassulaceae), formerly merged with Sedum, comprises stress-tolerant CAM succulents adapted to cold, arid, high-radiation alpine environments, where the swollen rootstock stores water and carbohydrate. Several Himalayan species, including this one, are harvested for traditional medicine for their adaptogenic rhizomes, creating localised collection pressure. R. fastigiata is broadly distributed and not currently considered threatened, but high-altitude Rhodiola populations are slow-growing and vulnerable to overharvesting.

Author: (Hook. f. & Thomson) S.H. Fu · Sources: POWO (Kew), GBIF, Flora of China, Flora of Bhutan, Flora of Pakistan, Ohba monographic studies of Himalayan Crassulaceae (Rhodiola)

Crassulaceae

Rhodiola himalensis

by GP Jürgens

(D. Don) Fu

Garw 2005 349 ergebnis
Garhwal Pataathi 4150 m, September
Bh09 132 P231
Bhutan Jimilangtso 4050m, June
Sikkim2011 292
Sikkim Lada-La 4000m, June

Description

Rhodiola himalensis is a characteristic high-alpine succulent of the Himalaya and adjacent Sino-Himalayan mountains, documented by some 562 georeferenced records from Nepal (NP), China (CN), India (IN), Bhutan (BT), Pakistan (PK) and Mongolia (MN), with a peripheral record in Japan (JP). It occupies the alpine zone, broadly between 3500 and 5000 m, on rocky slopes, screes, grassy alpine meadows, stream banks and moist ledges. The collections cited from Pataathi in Garhwal at 4150 m, Jimilangtso in Bhutan at about 4050 m and Lada-La in Sikkim at 4000 m, flowering between June and September, illustrate its broad occurrence across the central and eastern Himalaya at consistently high elevation.

It is a perennial herb arising from a stout, scaly, branched caudex topped by a fleshy rootstock. The flowering stems are erect to ascending and clothed with numerous, spreading, flat, sessile leaves; these are oblong-lanceolate to elliptic, fleshy, entire to minutely toothed, and often somewhat glaucous. The species is dioecious, the small flowers gathered into a dense terminal corymb; the staminate flowers are dark red to purplish with four parts and eight stamens, while the pistillate flowers develop into clusters of erect, dark red to purplish follicles bearing numerous minute seeds. The dark, often blackish-purple inflorescence colour is a notable field character.

Rhodiola (Crassulaceae), segregated from Sedum, comprises cold-adapted, perennating CAM succulents whose persistent woody caudex enables survival of harsh alpine winters and short growing seasons. R. himalensis, like several congeners, is gathered for use in Tibetan and Himalayan traditional medicine, contributing to localised harvesting pressure. The species remains widespread and is not formally threatened, though slow regeneration makes high-altitude Rhodiola populations vulnerable to sustained overcollection.

Author: (D. Don) Fu · Sources: POWO (Kew), GBIF, Flora of China, Flora of Bhutan, Annotated Checklist of the Flowering Plants of Nepal, Ohba monographic studies of Himalayan Crassulaceae (Rhodiola)

Crassulaceae

Rhodiola hobsonii

by G & P Jürgens

(Prain ex Raym.-Hamet) S.H.Fu

Bhutan2012 88
Bhutan Chele La 4150m, September

Description

Rhodiola hobsonii is an alpine succulent perennial of the eastern Himalaya and adjacent southwestern China, recorded from Bhutan, northern India (Sikkim, Arunachal), Nepal and the Chinese provinces of Xizang and Yunnan; GBIF holds about 101 records. It inhabits open stony slopes, gravelly screes, rock crevices and short alpine turf, generally between about 3800 and 5000 m, enduring intense insolation and a brief growing season. The photographed plant was collected at the Chele La pass in western Bhutan at around 4150 m in September, on the well-drained, frost-disturbed substrates it occupies near the upper limit of vascular plant growth.

The plant arises from a stout, woody, persistent caudex crowned by the scaly remains of old leaf bases, from which several short, fleshy, erect or ascending flowering stems develop. The leaves are alternate, sessile, succulent, oblong to obovate, entire or sparingly toothed toward the apex, and rather densely set. The inflorescence is a compact terminal cyme; the species is dioecious, the flowers four- or five-merous and dull purplish-red, the petals narrow. The fruit comprises several erect follicles that split to release minute seeds.

Rhodiola (Crassulaceae) is a large genus of cold alpine and arctic regions, segregated from Sedum by its perennial woody caudex and predominantly dioecious flowers. R. hobsonii belongs to the diverse Sino-Himalayan assemblage of the genus, many members of which are rich in rosavins and salidroside and used in regional traditional medicine. Restricted to high elevations, it is naturally localised but not currently assessed as threatened, though such cushion-zone specialists are vulnerable to warming.

Author: (Prain ex Raym.-Hamet) S.H.Fu · Sources: POWO (Kew), GBIF, Flora of China Vol. 8, Flora of Bhutan Vol. 1, Flora of Nepal, Flora of Pakistan, Ohba monograph of Himalayan Sedoideae and Rhodiola