Thank you Dr Chandran Ji for additional important information. Meizotropis have only two species in the world M.pellita, the species mentioned here, and M.buteiformis (synonym B.minor) which is found throughout Himalaya from Kumaon to Burma. I have seen it last year (2013) in Kali valley where it is frequent along road from Dharchula to Mungti, growing over rocky slopes. This third one from Nepal seems really interesting. The colour of flower may not be a significant character but with the picture it certainly differ from M.buteiformis and M.pellita. But then it requires plant specimens to determine identity/novelty. Now it is clear with your information that M.pellita has one or two more populations in Kumaon and some plants are safely growing in Himalayan Botanical Garden Naini Tal. I will be very happy to visit this botanic garden in spring and later also. I know you have made great efforts to cultivate many orchids there in addition to other species. DSRawat Pantnagar
---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: manoj chandran <[email protected]> Date: 4 January 2014 at 15:01 Subject: Re: [efloraofindia:178763] Re: Flora Picture of the year -2013 D S Rawat To: [email protected] Cc: "D.S Rawat" <[email protected]> I have seen three dwarf species of Butea in Himalayas. The one described in this post is M.pellita was originally reported only from Patwadangar in Nainital and the herb is locally called 'Patwa' and 'dangar' means rock. However, this is also found elsewhere in Kumaon. 'Kali Kumaon' refers to the area between Ramganga(Saryu) which borders Pithoragarh and Champawat district and the Lohaghat ridge. This ridge as well as the Ramganga(Saryu) meets Kali at Pancheshwar. I have also seen this species near Banoliya FRH in Nainital Forest Division at 1500m and also at Mad-Manley in Pithoragarh. We have also grown a few successfully at Himalayan Botanic Gardens at Nainital. The photo is the other post by Pankaj, found abundantly in lower reaches (1400-1900m) of Gori, Darma and Byans valleys on the rocky cliffs is Butea minor. It is abundant near Madkot in Gori valley, Garbadhar in Byans valley and Sobala in Darma valley. I am not sure whether it is synonymous with B.buteiformis. Yet another dwarf Butea is found in the adjoining Kanchanpur and Baitadi district of Mahakali anchal of Far Western Nepal. You can find it while driving from Dhangari to Baitadi on the lower hill slopes. The leaves are very much larger than B.minor and the flowers are white in colour instead of orange-red as in the other two species. However, I only have a photo of the plant in fruits, which I am posting here. May suggest id for this as it is completely different from the other two species posted. <https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-UQyctn16Lgc/UsfUXT_cyeI/AAAAAAAAAFE/xPsjJVWhwNI/s1600/IMG_4936-800.jpg> -- With regards, J.M.Garg 'Creating awareness of Indian Flora & Fauna' <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Jmgarg1> Winner of Wipro-NFS Sparrow Awards 2014 for efloraofindia <https://sites.google.com/site/efloraofindia/award-for-efloraofindia>. For identification, learning, discussion & documentation of Indian Flora, please visit/ join our Efloraofindia Google e-group <https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/indiantreepix> (largest in the world- around 2800 members & 2,65,000 messages on 31.3.17) or Efloraofindia website <https://sites.google.com/site/efloraofindia/> (with a species database of more than 12,000 species & 2,50,000 images). The whole world uses my Image Resource <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:J.M.Garg> of more than a thousand species & eight thousand images of Birds, Butterflies, Plants etc. (arranged alphabetically & place-wise). You can also use them for free as per Creative Commons license attached with each image. Also author of 'A Photoguide to the Birds of Kolkata & Common Birds of India'. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "efloraofindia" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/indiantreepix. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
