Native plants. NW'st quadrant of Himalayas.

Hello folks, in this thread i will try to show you some native plants growing at the foothills of the Himalayas. Some, i will try to give you the correct botanical names current or before Durban conference on Botanical Nomenclature of 1880's, i don't know. Some, you will have to find out the names yourself. You may also find some wild ancestors of the current day garden plants. I hope you enjoy and see the flora of a different place.
All five are Daturas while the fourth pic has a wild Ficus (fig). These Daturas have no fragrance, evil smell given wide berth by both humans and animals. Toxic.

Regards.

I am sorry, don't know the names. First one people eat as saag (a veg dish). Fourth one does remind me of some vegetable, flower and all but, i don't know. The fifth is again a unknown but i place it in the Euphorbia family. Ok! Now those Daturas and this Euphorbia are host to particular species of butterfly caterpillar. These caterpillars eat these toxic plants, the toxin level in their system is so high, that the birds leave them alone.
Regards.

Now i will show you the topography of the area and forests of Acacia Modesta.

Regards.

KAMasud - If you are wanting these plants to be identified, you would have a larger viewing and much better chance of success if you posted on the Plant Identification Forum.

Sorry, no. Those a strands of Acacia Modesta, Black Sally, Phulai. Enter one into search and you will also note the other names.
Before that i posted two wild Himalayan Daturas and some Euphorbia. Toxic, host to certain species of butterflies which in turn become toxic and birds leave them alone.:)
Today. Apocynum Cannabinum (Indian Hemp) and no, its not Cannabis Indica.
Next one reminds me of a garden plant (early 60's) reverted back and now invasive.
After that?????
As to higher pixel content of the pics, agreed. I will shift to higher higher mega pixels in future.
Regards.

Hello every one. Today a few more photographs of the local flora. But first, as i have recently joined DG so i was not in the habit of carrying a camera. A mobile phone camera suited me fine for record keeping. Any way as i have now started to carry one when i go out exploring. Today was a overcast day, i am not quite satisfied with the results, lets see.

Acacia nilotica subsp. indica

One of the reasons i went out on a rainy day was to catch it in bloom. They bloom this time of the year when it rains. If the rains are heavy, they bloom in perfusion and the entire area is covered in their perfume.

The fourth and fifth snaps, on the left is Nilotica but on the right? As you can see its growth is straight up and not bushy. I have been trying to track it down for quite a few years but failed so far.

Now to see if subspecies Indica is listed in the data base and fill in the details.

Regards.

Ficus benghalensis. Banyan tree. Bodhi tree.
These two cover an acre.
Next is a wild vine that i posted before, now in fruit. Looks like a melon but the diameter is one and a half inches only.
Third is again a NOID. These are NOID wild flora and i suppose it belongs to this thread only. On the NOID thread i only see garden variety, so i suppose the experts are here.
Regards.

Ficus religiosa. Peepal. The Sacred Fig species of banyan fig, i dont know why the locals call this Peepal and the other one Bodhi tree.

Last two are Dalbergia sissoo. Sheesham. Talli. Indian Rosewood. One is a living immature tree, the other is a dried out carcass just to show you the size it can reach. Its wood is highly valued so its difficult to find mature living ones. For size comparison you can see the cow and the goats under it.
Regards.

Interesting to travel via these exotic plants. Thanks.

Yes, thanks for the tour.

Most welcome, some day i will go to the upper valleys in search of ferns. First i will try to give a wide angle shot of the general area in order to fix the niche system then i will zero in on the subject i want to show. The mountains and valleys are beautiful and you may get to travel further afield with me.
Until then enjoy some colour.
Cheers and Regards.

Wow what beautiful plant pics from your country! Here is a pic of one of my favorite spring flowering trees that is native to my area. It is Halasia diptera the snowbell tree.

KAMasud, thanks so much for the pics. I spent some months in Pakistan but it's been 35 years. I was mostly farther south but made a trip up NE of Rawalpindi and found the scenery spacticular. What a treat to roam around again with your pics. Thanks

Thank you very much. back40bean some pics for you and for ID purposes. Wild flora, remember.
Best Regards.

These are ferns growing at a altitude of 6500 feet plus.
Regards.

Some more ferns to keeps the ferns enthusiast happy.
Regards.

Before we go further with ferns, how about some colour? Except for the Morning Glory tree whose flowers are twice the size of domestic the rest are half the size.

Now for view meet Cedrus deodar. I wont go into the details like growth altitude, height, uses, etc because i do not think any one would be fascinated. Cheers.
Regards.

Not native but definitely wild.
Regards,
Masud.

Sorry above Mirabilis jalapa. Now Salvia aegyptiaca and another.
Regards,
Masud.

KAMasud - Your on-going botanical tour is much appreciated. Thanks

Most welcome Greenthumb99.
Clematis vitalba in the wild with terrain.
Regards,
Masud.

#1&2. Ziziphus nummularia.
#3&4. Melia azadarach.
#5. Ziziphus zizyphus.
Regards,
Masud.

Is ziziphus nummularia edible?

Yes and delicious.
Regards,
Masud.

Enjoying your pics.

Have you seen any native pines on you tour?

Cedrus deodar, Chir pine.

Pinus wallichiana.

I am enjoying this images from afar, as well.

KAMasud:

Do you know what species of pine (dense tight foliage - quite unlike the Pinus wallichiana) is illustrated in each of these posts you previously made?

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=9288656
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/fp.php?pid=9334260&extraimg=2

Thanks, in advance...

Pinus roxburghii.
http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=pinus+roxburghii&hl=en&safe=off&tbo=u&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ei=u6b2UNCtKsnasgbP6oCgDQ&ved=0CDcQsAQ&biw=1920&bih=938
Regards,
Arif.

Sorry, I forgot to post this Pine.
Regards,
Masud.

Do any Rhododendrons grow in your area?

Yes Rhododendrons grow in the Himalayas plus a lot of other things. Stopped visiting this thread because it was a bit difficult talking into a void.
Regards,
Arif.

KAMasud - there is more activity now, please keep participating.

And there are those of us who put a word in only occasionally. Still, I regularly watch this forum and this thread.

Capparis decidua.

Nice shots.

Really interesting flowers, thanks.

Thank You so much for sharing your pictures with everybody! I'm new to DG and I just found this thread. It has been great to see your native plants and trees. Thank You again!