VoF Week :: DV :: 03 AUG 12 - 0404 :: ¿ greenish-black-flowered ? herb along Hemakund - Ghangaria trail

[Dinesh Valke]

3 AUG 12 Hemakund - Ghangaria trail ... about 11200 ft

Dear friends, ID please. Habitat: mountain slope Habit: erect herb, about 1 - 1.5 m high; flower about 8 - 10 mm across

Regards. Dinesh

[Nidhan Singh]

Very nice dark green petals...should be Scrophularia sp....S. himalensis?

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Regards,

Dr. Nidhan Singh
Department of Botany
I.B. (PG) College
Panipat-132103 Haryana
Ph.: 09416371227

[Prashant Awale]

Thanks Nidhan ji for the lead. As per FOI web site, this looks like Scrophularia elatior . (http://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Himalayan%20Figwort.html).
Regards
Prashant

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[Gurcharan Singh]

Firstly it is neither Scrophularia himalyensis nor S. polyantha, two closely related species characterised by rounded sepals with scarious margin. Here sepals are clearly ovate with acute tip and without scarious margin.

    To me both this plant as well as one on FOI are not S. elatior:

1. S. elatior is an Eastern Himalayan species distributed Nepal eastwards.

2. In S. elatior thye stamens are far exceeding the corolla. Here it is hardly visible from corolla.

3. The plants S. elatior are glabrous to somewhat hairy above here they are prominently glandular pubescent.

http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=3787&flora_id=2

Both these plants (FOI and above plant), I hope identify with S. edgeworthii.

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Dr. Gurcharan Singh

Retired  Associate Professor
SGTB Khalsa College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007
Res: 932 Anand Kunj, Vikas Puri, New Delhi-110018.
Phone: 011-25518297  Mob: 9810359089

http://www.gurcharanfamily.com/ 
http://people.du.ac.in/~singhg45/ 

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[Dinesh Valke]

Thank you very much Nidhan ji and Gurcharan ji for the tentative ID of Scrophularia edgeworthii.
Regards.
Dinesh

[Tabish]

According to Polunin & Stainton, Scrophularia elatior is distributed from UP (including present Uttarakhand) to Bhutan, at elevations 1600-3800 m. Stamens not protruding here, and in the plant at FOI is something to ponder about. However, the present status of Scrophularia edgeworthii apears to be doubtful.
   - Tabish

[Tabish]

PS:
 The plant at FOI has hairless stem and leaves, but the inflorescence is glandular-hairy. This part agrees with the description of S. elatior at Flora of China.
  - Tabish

[Gurcharan Singh]

Nearly more than 30 percent Indian taxa are unresolved according to The Plant List. I think it is their problem, if they have not even listed most Indian plants, though already included in Index Kewensis and IPNI, or consider some unresolved. Pennell's monograph on Scrophulariaceae of Western Himalayas is a very authentic study, and I think we should follow it unless there is concrete  contradictory study.   

    I have already pointed out more than a thousand names which have been wrongly assigned or not known to them.

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Dr. Gurcharan Singh

Retired  Associate Professor
SGTB Khalsa College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007
Res: 932 Anand Kunj, Vikas Puri, New Delhi-110018.
Phone: 011-25518297  Mob: 9810359089

http://www.gurcharanfamily.com/ 
http://people.du.ac.in/~singhg45/ 

  - Tabish

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[Balkar Singh]

Dear All

the attached pages may be of some help

From  Pennell's monograph on Scrophulariaceae of Western Himalayas 

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Regards

Dr Balkar Singh
Head, Deptt. of Botany and Biotechnology
Arya P G College, Panipat
Haryana-132103
09416262964

[Dinesh Valke]

Many thanks Tabish, Gurcharan ji and Balkar ji for the discussion.
Regards.
Dinesh

[Tabish]

The bottom line seems to be that Scrophularia eliator and Scrophularia edgeworthii are very close to each other, the only notable distinguishing feature being the protruding stamens. Based on Pennell, one can settle on S. edgeworthii
   - Tabish

[Dinesh Valke]

Once again thanks to all of you: Nidhan ji, Prashant, Gurcharan ji, Balkar ji and Tabish for resolving the ID to Scrophularia edgeworthii.
Regards.
Dinesh