George Sherriff (1898-1967) was a famous Scottish explorer and plant collector who travelled primarily with Frank Ludlow in the Eastern Himalayas. Together, they discovered many new plant species including many Primulas. Their expeditions are detailed in the Book "A Quest of Flowers" by H.R. Fletcher. George was an avid photographer and his still images showing plants in the wild are a precious source of information. He also made movies and one of his amateur films from the early 1940's is viewable on You Tube (12mins). It is called "The Lost World of Tibet" and it is narrated by George's wife Betty. It is a fascinating glimpse into travel at the time and there are occasional glimpses of Primulas. See time 4:50 and 6:14.
Showing posts with label video. Show all posts
Showing posts with label video. Show all posts
Looking for Primulas in Google Earth Pro (now free)
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| Primula caveana on the Bimbi La, Tibet by Anne Chambers |
Besides viewing this data as a flat map, you can tilt the perspective to see the area in 3D. You can "stand" on a pass and look into the distance and see the peaks as you would on a clear day, just like perhaps George Sherriff did. How cool is that?! If you are a computer geek like me, you will soon want to capture a route as a video, swooping down valleys and soaring over passes as if you can fly through the air. With the free version of Google Earth, there was no ability to capture video. You needed the Pro version which cost about $400US. Now Google has released the Pro version for free.
Download the software on Google using your email address and the key GEPFREE. Even though it may say trial version, it isn't.
The video is one I just created with Google Earth Pro. The white line is the approximate route travelled by Ludlow & Sherriff in 1933 from Singye Dzong over the Kang La in Bhutan. Singye Dzong is located at 27°58'23.37"N 91°17'44.15"E. Primula eburnea was collected at the Tsho Kar (White Lake), on the way to the pass. In the distance, the yellow line marks the border between Bhutan and Tibet.
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| Primula eburnea, near the Kang La, Bhutan by George Sherriff courtesy RBGE archives |
Did you know you can view historical imagery on Google Earth? Over time, a place may be imaged repeatedly for display on Google Earth. You may think that the currently displayed image is the best, but sometimes clouds can get in the way. To look at the Bimbi La, Tsari in Tibet, it is better to look at a historical view.
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| Current image of the Bimbi La on Google Earth |
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| Historical image of the Bimbi La on Google Earth |
Herbariums
Type specimens are (usually) dried and pressed plants, mounted on paper, stored in a herbarium and used to describe a new species. Associated with the specimen are details of its collection including where it was collected, when and by whom. Being able to access herbarium specimens is key to understanding what makes a species distinct and what variation the plants exhibit. Under Resources in the main menu of Primula World is a list of Herbaria that has collections of special interest to the study of Primula. This list is always being updated with more links, so check back frequently. If you know of a herbarium that should be on the list, please contact the webmaster. There is a great reference to the kinds of types at the New York Botanic Garden.
There a several great videos about herbariums below that are worth watching:
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| RBGE Herbarium image by Paul Macrae (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) from Flickr |
There a several great videos about herbariums below that are worth watching:
Primula boreiocalliantha
Primula boreiocalliantha is one of the most beautiful species that I have seen in the wild. In 2009, and again in 2014, I saw it near to Hong Shan in Yunnan and then again in 2014 in Muli, Sichuan. This species has 4 synonyms : P. coryana (from Muli), P. muliensis (from Muli), P. propinqua (from Yunnan) and P. hongshanensis (from Yunnan). It is distinguished by large, rose purple flowers to 3.5cm wide and spear shaped leaves, thickly coated with farina below. The flowers appear in tiers or whorls. This species seems to require specific growing conditions, usually under mature rhododendrons with little competition from other herbaceous plants. I have seen it growing in the company of P. szechuanica and P. secundiflora.
The video below is from Hong Shan in 2014. More images are in the Species Gallery.
