Tag:

Subalpine (2500-3500 m)

Adoxaceae

Viburnum erubescens

by GP Jürgens

Wall. ex. DC.

Sikkim2004 111 G188
India West-Bengal, Utaray 2000m April
Sikkim 2006 353 ergebnis
India West-Bengal, Tamrong 2700m, May

Description

Viburnum erubescens Wall. ex DC. is a deciduous to semi-evergreen shrub of the Adoxaceae, widespread across the Himalaya and into East and Southeast Asia. GBIF data (over 2,800 occurrences) record it from China, Nepal, India, Bhutan, Myanmar, Taiwan, and beyond, indicating a broad Sino-Himalayan range. It was photographed in West Bengal at Utaray (2,000 m, April) and Tamrong (2,700 m, May), typical of its occurrence in temperate broad-leaved and mixed forests, forest margins, and shrubberies between roughly 1,500 and 3,000 m, where it flowers in spring as the new foliage expands.

The plant forms a shrub to small tree with opposite, elliptic to ovate-lanceolate leaves that are finely serrate, acuminate, and sparsely hairy on the veins beneath. The flowers are borne in pendulous, paniculate cymes; the corolla is tubular with five spreading lobes, white flushed with pink (the epithet "erubescens" meaning blushing), and sweetly fragrant. The fruit is a small ovoid drupe that ripens from red to glossy black, containing a single compressed stone, and is readily taken by birds.

Viburnum, long placed in Caprifoliaceae, is now referred to Adoxaceae on molecular grounds. Viburnum erubescens is a variable species comprising several recognised varieties across its range, and its pendulous, tubular-flowered inflorescences distinguish it from most co-occurring Himalayan congeners. Widespread, adaptable, and locally common, it is of no conservation concern and is valued horticulturally as an ornamental flowering shrub.

Author: Wall. ex. DC. · Sources: POWO (Kew), Flora of China Vol. 19, Flora of Bhutan Vol. 2, GBIF, Kern: Revision of Asian Viburnum

Viburnaceae

Viburnum nervosum

by G & P Jürgens

D.Don

Sikkim 2006 369 ergebnis
India West-Bengal, Tamrong 2800m, May

Description

Viburnum nervosum is a deciduous shrub or small tree of the temperate Himalaya and adjacent mountains, documented by GBIF (1437 occurrences) from China, Nepal, India, Bhutan, Myanmar and Taiwan, with further records reflecting cultivation elsewhere. It grows in moist temperate forest, forest margins, rhododendron thickets and open slopes, typically between about 2400 and 3600 m. The collection from Tamrong in West Bengal at 2800 m in May reflects its montane forest setting, where it is conspicuous in spring, often flowering on bare branches before or as the leaves expand in the cool, humid middle-mountain belt.

The plant is a shrub or small tree with stout twigs and prominent buds, the young growth and inflorescence somewhat stellate-pubescent. The leaves are opposite, broadly ovate to elliptic, cordate at the base, serrate, and strongly marked by deeply impressed, parallel lateral veins from which the epithet derives. The inflorescence is a rounded to flat-topped terminal cyme of small, fragrant, white to pinkish flowers, each with a short campanulate corolla of five lobes and five exserted stamens. The fruit is a small, ellipsoid drupe ripening from red to black, containing a single compressed stone.

Viburnum, long placed in Caprifoliaceae but here treated within Viburnaceae (Adoxaceae sensu lato), is distinguished by opposite simple leaves, cymose inflorescences and one-seeded drupes. The strongly nerved leaves and early-spring flowering readily characterise this species among Himalayan viburnums. Its fleshy fruits are dispersed by birds, and it regenerates well in forest gaps. Widespread and locally common, V. nervosum is of no conservation concern.

Author: D.Don · Sources: POWO (Kew), GBIF, Flora of China Vol. 19, Flora of Bhutan Vol. 2, Flora of Nepal, Kern & Hara Viburnum of the Himalaya (Flora of Eastern Himalaya)

Violaceae

Viola biflora

by GP Jürgens

L.

BhutanPG2011 200
also included: Herminium duthiei Bhutan 2011
Bh09 246 P412
Bhutan Pele-La 3000m, April

Description

Viola biflora is a circumboreal, arctic-alpine herb with one of the widest distributions in the genus, the GBIF dataset of over 83000 records spanning the mountains of Europe (France, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Italy, Spain, Scandinavia, Poland), Russia, China, Japan, Taiwan, Nepal and North America. It grows in cool, moist montane to alpine habitats: shaded rock ledges, streamsides, damp turf, mossy banks and conifer-forest margins, ascending well above the treeline. The photographed plant from the Pele-La in Bhutan at 3000 m in April, where it grew alongside the orchid Herminium duthiei, exemplifies its occurrence in high Himalayan meadow and rock-crevice communities flushed by snowmelt.

It is a small, delicate perennial herb arising from a slender creeping rhizome, with weak ascending stems 5–15 cm tall. The leaves are reniform to broadly cordate, crenate-margined, thin-textured and bright green, the basal ones long-petiolate. The flowers are characteristically borne one or two per axil (hence the epithet biflora) on slender pedicels; the corolla is small, bright yellow, with five petals, the lowest petal broadest and conspicuously veined with fine brown-purple nectar-guide striae, and produced into a short blunt spur. The five stamens surround a superior ovary maturing into a small loculicidal capsule that splits into three valves, ejecting the seeds.

Viola biflora is the type of section Chamaemelanium and is exceptional among violets for its yellow flowers and circumpolar range, with numerous regional varieties recognised across its vast area. The nectar-guided flowers attract small bees and hoverflies, and explosive capsule dehiscence aids seed dispersal. Widespread and abundant, it is of least conservation concern.

Author: L. · Sources: POWO (Kew), GBIF, Flora of China Vol. 13, Flora of Bhutan Vol. 1, Flora of Nepal, Violets of the World (Marcussen et al.)

Violaceae

Viola hamiltoniana

by GP Jürgens

D. Don

Bh2008 157 P257
Bhutan Chendebji, 2500m April
Sikkim 2006 288 ergebnis
India West-Bengal, Chaana 1700m, May

Description

Viola hamiltoniana D.Don is a small perennial violet of the temperate Himalaya and East Asia. GBIF documents a broad distribution including Nepal, NE India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, the Russian Far East and Southeast Asia, with over 10,000 records, reflecting its place within a widespread and taxonomically intricate East Asian complex. In the Himalaya it grows in moist temperate forest, on grassy banks and shaded slopes; the illustrated plants are from Bhutan at Chendebji, 2,500 m, in April, and from West Bengal at Chaana, 1,700 m, in May, the flowering season of early spring.

The plant is a low, acaulescent or shortly stemmed herb arising from a slender rhizome, sometimes producing stolons. The leaves are basal in a loose rosette, the blades ovate to oblong-lanceolate or cordate with a crenate to serrate margin and a long, slender petiole, the stipules narrow and entire to fimbriate. Flowers are solitary on long axillary peduncles, zygomorphic and spurred in typical violet fashion, white to pale lilac or bluish with darker veining on the lower petal and a short blunt spur; cleistogamous flowers are commonly produced later in the season. The fruit is a three-valved loculicidal capsule that dehisces explosively to disperse the smooth seeds.

Viola section taxa of the Himalaya are notoriously variable, and V. hamiltoniana has been variously circumscribed and synonymised within the East Asian violet complex. The frequent cleistogamy ensures reliable seed set, contributing to its wide range and abundance. The species is common and of no conservation concern.

Author: D. Don · Sources: POWO (Kew), GBIF, Flora of China Vol. 13, Flora of Bhutan Vol. 1, Flora of Nepal, W. Becker: Violae Asiaticae

Violaceae

Viola hookeri

by GP Jürgens

Thomson ex Hook.f.

Sikkim2004 73 P128
Sikkim West-Bengal, Bersay 2700m April
Sikkim 2006 160 ergebnis
India West-Bengal, Molley 3200m, May

Description

Viola hookeri Thomson ex Hook.f. is a small Himalayan violet of the eastern ranges, occurring in Sikkim, Darjeeling and adjacent India, Nepal and Bhutan. The GBIF figures attached to this record (over 3.8 million occurrences across chiefly European and North American countries) pertain to the genus Viola as a whole, not to this species, whose true range is confined to the temperate eastern Himalaya. It grows in cool, moist, shaded forest, on mossy banks and along path margins. The photographed plants are from the Sikkim-West Bengal border at Bersay (2,700 m, April) and from Molley (3,200 m, May), placing it in the upper temperate to subalpine forest belt.

It is a small acaulescent perennial herb forming a basal rosette from a slender rhizome, without elongated leafy stems. The leaves are long-petiolate, the lamina ovate to cordate-reniform with a crenate margin and a stipulate base. The solitary flowers are borne on slender axillary peduncles and have the characteristic zygomorphic violet structure: five unequal petals, the lowest spurred, white to pale lilac and often violet-veined, with the lower lateral petals sometimes bearded. As in many violets, cleistogamous flowers may also be produced. The fruit is a small, ellipsoid, three-valved loculicidal capsule that splits explosively to eject the smooth seeds.

Viola (Violaceae) is a near-cosmopolitan genus with a strong Himalayan radiation of acaulescent, rosette-forming species adapted to montane woodland. V. hookeri belongs to this eastern Himalayan group, in which basal rosettes, spurred flowers and frequent cleistogamy reflect adaptation to shaded, seasonally cool conditions. The species is not formally assessed but, like its relatives, depends on intact temperate forest.

Author: Thomson ex Hook.f. · Sources: POWO (Kew), GBIF, Flora of Bhutan, Flora of China, Hooker Flora of British India, Annotated Checklist of the Flowering Plants of Nepal, Becker conspectus of Viola

Violaceae

Viola moupinensis

by GP Jürgens

Franch.

Sikkim2004 339 G600
Sikkim/India Choka 3000m May

Description

Viola moupinensis Franch. is a stemless perennial violet of the Sino-Himalayan mountains, distributed according to GBIF across China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Bhutan. It inhabits cool, moist temperate and subalpine forests, shaded grassy slopes, forest margins and stream sides, typically between about 2,000 and 3,500 m. The May record from Choka in Sikkim at 3,000 m reflects its flowering during the spring monsoon onset in mossy, humus-rich woodland, where it grows among ferns and other shade-tolerant herbs in the understorey of mixed conifer and broad-leaved forest.

The species is an acaulescent (rosette-forming) perennial arising from a short, stout rhizome bearing fibrous roots. The leaves are basal, long-petiolate, with broadly cordate to reniform-cordate blades that are crenate-serrate at the margin and somewhat pubescent, often enlarging considerably after flowering. The solitary, long-pedunculate flowers are pale violet to whitish with darker purple veining on the lower petals; the lowermost petal bears a short, blunt spur. As is typical of Viola, the plant also produces self-pollinating cleistogamous flowers later in the season, and the fruit is an ellipsoid, three-valved capsule that dehisces explosively to disperse the seeds, which are further dispersed by ants via their elaiosomes.

Viola moupinensis belongs to section Viola and is closely allied to the temperate stemless violets of Eurasia. Its combination of showy chasmogamous and reliable cleistogamous flowers ensures reproductive success in shaded, insect-poor forest understoreys. As a frequent and adaptable woodland species across a broad elevational and geographic range, it is not of conservation concern but is a valued component of Himalayan spring flora.

Author: Franch. · Sources: POWO (Kew), GBIF, Flora of China Vol. 13, Flora of Bhutan Vol. 1, Wang Wencai: Violaceae monographic studies

Violaceae

Viola wallichiana

by GP Jürgens

Ging.

Sikkim2011 165
Sikkim Vista-valley 2500m, June
Sikkim2011 167
Sikkim Vista-valley 2500m, June
Sikkim 2006 460 ergebnis
India West-Bengal, Ruigi-Chu 2100m, May

Description

Viola wallichiana is a small perennial herb of the Himalaya, distributed through Nepal, northern India, Sikkim, Bhutan and southwestern China, with peripheral or introduced records noted from Australia; GBIF holds about 79 collections, reflecting a relatively localised eastern Himalayan range. It grows in shaded, moist temperate forest, on mossy banks, humus-covered slopes and shaded rock ledges, typically between about 2000 and 3000 m. The photographed plants were found in Sikkim's Vista valley at around 2500 m in June and in the West Bengal hills at Ruigi-Chu near 2100 m in May, on the cool, sheltered, leaf-littered forest floor it inhabits through late spring and the early monsoon.

The plant is a low, stemless to short-stemmed perennial arising from a slender rhizome, sometimes spreading by short stolons. The leaves are basal or nearly so, long-petiolate, the blade ovate to cordate or reniform with a crenate margin and conspicuous fringed stipules. The flowers are solitary on slender axillary peduncles, zygomorphic and spurred in typical violet fashion, pale violet to bluish or whitish with darker veining on the lower petal, the spur short. Cleistogamous flowers may also be produced. The fruit is a small loculicidal capsule that splits into three valves, ejecting the seeds elastically.

Viola (Violaceae) is a large, cosmopolitan genus, and V. wallichiana belongs to the temperate Himalayan group of rosulate, spurred-flowered violets, commemorating Nathaniel Wallich. Its cordate basal leaves, fringed stipules and pale veined flowers distinguish it from congeners. It is a typical understorey forb of mid-elevation forest, locally common but not assessed as threatened.

Author: Ging. · Sources: POWO (Kew), GBIF, Flora of China Vol. 13, Flora of Bhutan Vol. 2, Flora of Nepal, Flora of Pakistan, Becker conspectus of Himalayan Viola

Violaceae

Viola yunnanfuensis

by GP Jürgens

W. Becker

Bhutan2014 959
Bhutan Haa 2640m, May
Bh2008 558 G843
Bhutan Paro 3000m, May

Description

Viola yunnanfuensis is an acaulescent violet of the Eastern Himalaya and southwestern China, documented by GBIF (144 occurrences) from China, Bhutan, India and Taiwan (CN, BT, IN, TW). It grows in the temperate to upper-temperate zone on grassy banks, open forest margins, meadows and disturbed slopes, favouring moist but well-lit ground. The two cited Bhutanese collections, from Haa at about 2640 m and Paro at around 3000 m, both flowering in May, span the typical montane range of roughly 2000-3300 m and reflect its association with the spring flush following snowmelt and early monsoon rains.

The plant is a small, stemless perennial herb forming a basal rosette from a short rhizome and slender roots. The leaves are long-petioled, the blade ovate-cordate to oblong-cordate with a crenate margin and often a sparsely pubescent surface; conspicuous stipules are adnate to the petiole, fimbriate or laciniate. The solitary flowers are borne on slender axillary peduncles bearing two bracteoles; the corolla is zygomorphic, of five unequal petals in shades of violet to purple, the lowest spurred and the laterals often bearded. As in many violets, later-season cleistogamous flowers ensure seed set. The fruit is a small, loculicidal, three-valved capsule that ejects the seeds elastically.

Viola yunnanfuensis belongs to Viola section Viola (the stemless, fibrous-rooted spring violets), a taxonomically intricate group in which Sino-Himalayan species form a diverse and often poorly delimited complex. The combination of obligate spring (chasmogamous) and summer cleistogamous flowering is a hallmark of the section, promoting both outcrossing and reliable reproduction. Widespread and tolerant of moderate disturbance, the species is not considered threatened.

Author: W. Becker · Sources: POWO (Kew), GBIF, Flora of China, Flora of Bhutan, Violaceae of the Sino-Himalaya, W. Becker Violae Asiaticae

Thymelaeaceae

Wikstroemia canescens

by G & P Jürgens

Meisn.

Nepal 99 57 ergebnis
West-Nepal Nyor Gaad 2700m, June
Nepal 99 935 ergebnis 1
West-Nepal Suli-Khola 2700m, July
Nepal 99 933 ergebnis
West-Nepal Ski-Khola 2700m, July
Garw 2005 236 ergebnis ergebnis
India Garhwal Guni 2350m, September

Description

Wikstroemia canescens (Meisn.) is a Himalayan to East Asian shrub of the family Thymelaeaceae, distributed from Pakistan and the northwest Himalaya through India, Nepal and Myanmar to China, Sri Lanka and Japan. The fewer than 600 GBIF records indicate a scattered but characteristically montane occurrence. It inhabits open slopes, forest margins, scrubland and rocky banks in the temperate zone, generally between 1,500 and 3,000 m. The several West Nepal localities at around 2,700 m, recorded from June through July, together with the Garhwal collection from Guni at 2,350 m in September, span its full flowering and fruiting season across the central and western Himalaya.

The plant is an erect, branching shrub up to about 2 m tall, with tough, fibrous bark and young branchlets covered in a fine greyish pubescence, hence the epithet canescens. The leaves are subopposite to alternate, shortly petiolate, elliptic to oblong-lanceolate, entire-margined and somewhat silky beneath. The small, tubular flowers lack petals and consist of a yellow to greenish-yellow, four-lobed calyx tube; they are clustered in short, terminal, head-like or umbellate inflorescences. The fruit is a small, dry to fleshy drupe.

Like many Thymelaeaceae, Wikstroemia canescens possesses an exceptionally strong inner bark rich in long fibres, and in the Himalaya it is used locally for cordage and in the traditional manufacture of hand-made paper, a use shared with the related Daphne species. The genus is closely allied to Daphne, the two differing chiefly in floral merosity and indumentum, and generic boundaries within the group remain debated. The species is widespread and not currently considered threatened.

Author: Meisn. · Sources: POWO (Kew), Flora of Nepal, GBIF, Flora of China Vol. 13, Halda: The Genus Daphne and allied Thymelaeaceae (2001)

Asteraceae

Youngia racemifera

by GP Jürgens

(Hook.f.) Babc. & Stebbins

Bhutan2015 494
Bhutan Phobjika 2620m, October
Bhutan2012 173
Bhutan Haar-Valley, 3200m September

Description

Youngia racemifera is a Sino-Himalayan species recorded from China, Nepal, Bhutan, India and Myanmar, GBIF holding around 209 occurrences across this eastern montane range. It is a plant of open temperate to subalpine habitats, growing on grassy and shrubby slopes, forest clearings, banks and disturbed ground where light is abundant and soils are moist but well drained. The cited localities, Phobjika in central Bhutan at 2620 m in October and the Haar Valley in the west at 3200 m in September, place it in the upper temperate to subalpine belt, flowering and fruiting through the late summer and autumn as the monsoon wanes and the high valleys cool.

It is an erect perennial or biennial herb with a leafy, branching, glabrous to sparsely hairy stem exuding milky latex when broken, as is typical of the tribe. The lower leaves are oblanceolate and runcinate-pinnatifid to lyrate, narrowed to a winged base, the upper leaves smaller and less divided, sometimes amplexicaul. The numerous small capitula are arranged in an elongate, racemose to paniculate synflorescence, reflected in the epithet. Each head is homogamous and ligulate, containing several yellow ray florets only; the involucre is cylindric with a single main row of phyllaries and small outer bracts. The cypselae are narrowly fusiform and ribbed, surmounted by a pappus of soft white barbellate bristles.

Youngia (tribe Cichorieae) is a genus of around thirty species centred on East Asia and the Himalaya, distinguished from related lettuce-like genera by its small few-flowered capitula and beakless ribbed cypselae. Based on a Hooker name and transferred by Babcock and Stebbins in their classic study of the group, Y. racemifera is treated as accepted. Its bright yellow ligulate heads attract small bees and flies. As a tolerant plant of open and disturbed montane habitats, it is widespread and of no conservation concern.

Author: (Hook.f.) Babc. & Stebbins · Sources: POWO (Kew), GBIF, Flora of Bhutan, Flora of China, Annotated Checklist of the Flowering Plants of Nepal, Babcock & Stebbins' monograph of Crepidinae (Youngia)