Dr Satish Phadke
Smithsonia viridiflora(Dalzell) C.J.Saldanha 1974
Syn. Aerides dalzelliana Syn. Gastrochilus dalzelliana
Amboli flora is best in monsoons but in summer these epiphytic orchids are treat to your eyes.
This orchid has very small flowers 1.5 cm in clusters. These were observed hardly 1-2 feet from the grounds.Amboi is a hill station in Maharashtra in western ghats with rich biodiversity.
By Dr Satish Phadke.
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Aarti Khale
My picture of the year is of a tree rather than a flower.....Ficus Benjamina.
This huge tree is the largest seen by me at the Royal Botanic Gardens,
Peradeniya, Sri Lanka during a visit there in November,2010.
The entire tree covers an area of half an acre in the gardens and is
still growing.
It was amazing to see such a huge tree.
There are many more rare trees & flora in this garden.
Aarti Khale
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Pankaj Kumar
The flower in the picture belongs to a very rare and endemic orchid of Uttarakhand distributed in Pithoragarh. It is called as Flickingeria hesperis Seidnf.. The most interesting thing about it is, one plant gives one flower in a year and the flower just blooms for a single day. This is the type character of Flickingeria and hence it is often refereed to as One Day Flower Orchid, so one has to be there on
the right day to find it in flowering condition.
Pankaj Kumar
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J.M.Garg
2010 had a new surprise in the form of Valley of Flowers. I was lucky to go with Eastern Railway Trek Team officially in August' 2010. Due to landslides we got stuck up at a number of points enroute to Govind Ghat on two days. But I took this as an opportunity to capture Wild Flora & Fauna enroute. From Govindghat to Ghangharia, Valley of Flowers & Hemkund Sahib, it was a four day trek. I enjoyed the journey like never before- capturing all the beauty on the way in the form of landscapes, butterflies, birds & Plants. Most of the time it was raining- but that in no way hampered my spirits. I was lucky to have a good supporting team (who always took inspirations from me & learnt to appreciate wild Flora & Fauna) & a porter with me, which enabled me click the beauties even in the rainy weather (I think it was the normal weather). I moved slowly with my tripods & one SLR body on the shoulder & another in my neck. We started early & reached every destination only by evening time doing a 10 to 12 hours trek. By the end of the trip I had clicked around 5000 pictures of around 400 species. These will take more than a year even to process & post/ identify/ upload somewhere like Wikimedia Commons. Everything else seem mundane if you compare this trip. This is evident that from the fact for a number of identified pictures, you even don't find a single picture on net for that species. Sheer beauty is so encompassing that I am unable to choose any single picture from so many beautiful ones. However, I had attached one from The Valley of Flowers which shows it's mountains, valleys, rivers, flora, weather conditions etc.
Despite seeing so much of beauty everywhere, one awaits a great surprise on reaching the Vally of Flowers.
It is a sight which can hardly be recreated anywhere else in India. Thus the choice for the Flora picture of the year 2010 from my side.
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With regards,
J.M.Garg (jmgarg1@gmail.com)
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My Flora Picture of the Year would have two photographs both from California and both processed by my son Manpreet Singh, who has keen interest in photography and courtesy whom I acquired by digitat SLR Camera leading to my joining this group and renewing my interest in Flora ofter a long gap and gave me a reason to remain occupied and enjoy this all.
The first one a photograph of Death Valley, a name that scared me initially and Pankaj ji found the name strange. The reality dawned when I actually visited the area and saw its lowest spot Badwater basin. As the lowest point in Western Hemisphere, Death Valley belongs to the world-wide Geographic rogue's gallery whose members share these defining features:
1. To have exposed land below sea level, an extremely dry climate is necessary. It wet climates low places fill with water and overflow to sea. A dry climate evaporates water, leaving back salt flats or brine water.
2. Like most these locations, Death valley was not created by river erosion. Movements of Earth's crust have dropped it to such great depths.
Badwater basin in Death valley is 282 ft below sea level. It is the hottest spot in the world Summer day time temperatures exceed 49 C (highest 54 C recorded in July 1913). In low valley sun heats the air, the slopes around trap rising hot air and recirculates it down into the valley for further heating. It is also the driest place in North America with annual rainfall of only 5 cm, being in the rain shadow. Ancient water fills this basin year round. Much of it began as Ice Age snow and rainwater hundreds of miles away in mountains of Central Nevada. The runoff seeped into porous limestone bedrock and began a long underground flow through a regional aquifer, emerging through a faultline in Badwater region. Salts dissolve from old deposits and flow to the surface making the spring water "Bad". The phenomenon continues even now. The rain falling on distant peaks creates floods which rush down dissolving salts on way from rocks and settle into the pool of "Badwater basin". As the water evaporates rapidly due to intense heat, the salt concentration increases and finally only salts remains, forming layers over layers of salt, which take a variety of patterns on the surface with freshly formed salt crystals oozing out..
Such extremely salty habitat does not allow much life to survive but one can find a plant pickleweed (Sarcocornia pacifica) along edges, the badwater snail and a few and few insects in pools of water.
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Dr. Gurcharan Singh
This second photograph shows mossbrae falls, Dunsmuir. This interesting fall is not in advertised in tourist maps of California but is known to many enthusiasts. To reach to the fall, one has to travel on the rail track for nearly 2 km. You have to be always to keep watch about the train and you are advised to keep your ears alert to train sound to leave the tracks although there is hardly any space on the side walks, with stream on one side and mountain slope on the other. We had to walk the whole distance on track of nearly 30 cm thick snow.
The fall has thick layer of moss (hence the name mossbrae) and luxuriant growth of Watercress (Nasturtium officinale) a tasty wild vegetable sold in stores of California. The plant grows luxuriantly in hill stations of India, but not exploited commercially as much as in California or Europe.
This photograph was also processed by my son Manpreet Singh.
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Dr. Gurcharan Singh
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Nalini Bhat Meghani
Hallo,
here come my Flora pictures of the Year 2010,
Floralis Gene'rica-100_5904 two fotos.
taken on 28. March 2010 at about 11:00 Hrs. in a park near Buenos Aires. The argentine architect Eduardo Catalano presented it to the City Buenos Aires in 2002. According to Catalano this flower "is a synthesis of all the flowers and is both a hope that is reborn every day to open." It is a metal flower, called Floralis Gene'rica.
It opens in the morning and closes at sunset, there is an electrical system that automatically opens and closes the petals depending on the time of the day. At night the flower closes emanating from inside a red glow and rebirth open in the morning the next day. This mechanism also closes the flower if strong winds blow. (Wiki)
I would have liked to stay there the whole day and in the night to watch the flower closing and the red glow.
Nalini
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Padmini Raghavan.
I have subequently found the name, Tristellateia australasiae, for the bright yellow flowers with the red stamens, which I am submitting as my choice of Flora for the Year
It has been a difficult business, this choosing; every other flower seemed to be staking its claim for my favour.
I first saw the Vining Galphimia at Dr. Mahadeshwaraswamy's residence in Chennai and admired the profusion of flowers next to his front door.
Since I have not seen another such creeper in Chennai, I was thrilled when the specimen which I had bought in Bangalore actually produced some blooms.
(Most of my Bangalore acquisitions don't like our Chennai weather.)
The climber is also called "Shower of Gold Climber" and "Vining Milkweed".
A Peaceful, Healthy and Happy 2011 to all!
Regards,
Padmini Raghavan.
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Shrikant Ingalhalikar
Dungoba Rai is a beautiful sacred grove located in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra. This may be the only coastal 'Devrai' and perhaps the only one that has rare mangrove plants. Trees seen at the upstream end of the fresh water are the precious 'Sundari' mangrove trees or Heritiera littoralis. This is the only record on the western coast of the celebrated trees of the Sunderbans of eastern India. Around 50 full grown trees with heavily buttressed roots can be seen. They are known by the locals as 'Samudra Kandol' very aptly (Sterculiaceae) because Sterculia villosa which grows uphill is known as Kandol. Heritieras here have been flowering in July and fruiting in latter part of the year. All the trees in Dungoba sacred forest are protected by the locals. May God Dungoba bless the forest for the ensuing centuries.
Shrikant Ingalhalikar
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Rashida Atthar
The beautiful Adansonia digitata-baobab flowers at dawn. These are special to me because I could see them at different times zones at the Babasaheb Ambedkar University, Aurangabad. I have never been able to capture them in full bloom at Mumbai being bat pollinated they fall off early morning. The tree as most would know has an inverted trunk, base being much thicker than the upper portion mainly due to the function of storage of water. Several interesting links and info. can be found in our database.
Wishing Efloraofindia a very happy and bountiful 2011 !
Rashida Atthar
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Prashant Awale
31st July, early Morning 02:00 AM, Dinesh (Valke) called me on my mobile to inform me that he will be picking me from my residence. We had made a plan to visit Purandar Fort. This is for the first time we were to come face to face. I had been interacting with him for so many years but never- ever got an opportunity to go on a Flower-hunt together. Ceropegia's were in our mind but more than this, it was the exitement to meet. Within no time we reached Pune where we were joined by Ushaprabha Pagey Madam and Ajinkya.
Almost by morning 8:00AM, we were on top of Purandar. It was raining and not a good weather for photography. Nevertless, we had a wonderfull experince interacting as well as capturing some flora from Purandar.
Beautiful flowers of Thalictrum dalzellii ( श्वेतांबर) were literally dancing along with the cool breeze and rain showers. Looking very pretty. We could not resist capturing this.
It was a memorable trip.
Thalictrum dalzellii is the Flower Picture of the Year 2010 from my side.
I take this opportunity to share a small poem written by my Son (Master Shantanu) on the Rain..
" Water droplets every where,
now it is time to cheer;
Rain has brought along a lot of Joy,
Note book paper has become a paper boat toy;
Paper boat is travelling along with the Stream,
Riding on the real boat is one of my dream.
Clouds are playing Hide & seek,
Nature is full of many such tricks.
Green fields and Wild Flowers,
All enjoying pleasant Showers.
Lets join them and go on a Trek,
It is good to have one such break. "
Thanks,
regards
Prashant
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Anand Kumar Bhatt
If you see the tradtional Indian flowers, they are mostly fragrant and not very bright coloured. Perhaps the most fragrant of the lot is Michelia Champak, and it as of a colour which could not be named and therefore anything (saree!) of the same colour is known as champai. It is soft vibranr orange, and the heady perfume is all-pervading during the bloom time. No wonder it is used in the manufacture of Joy, one of the most expensive perfumes in the world.
This flower was plucked by my wife even before I could snap it in the branch of the small plant which I have recently procured from Pune, courtesy my son and daughter-in-law. It is a difficult to grow this plant in the dry hot weather of Gwalior. It thrives well in humid and mild climate. When my wife went to Coorg recently she claimed to have seen 100 year old huge trees of Champa!.
This flower has gone in folklores and mythological stories. Saat Bhai Champa is a famous folk story and Lata has so feelingly sung the story in BANGLA.
For me this the flower and the flower picture of the year.
ak
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Dinesh Valke
My picture of year 2010 ... Clematis smilacifolia.
To me this is a very interesting sighting at Yeoor Hills (part of Sanjay Gandhi National Park) especially because it is considered as a rare plant.
Regards,
Dinesh
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Narendra Joshi
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Dr. E S SANTHOSH KUMAR PhD, FIAT, FLS
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Usha Lachungpa
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Vijayasankar R.
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Bimal Sarkar
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Geeta Rane
Greetings,
this photo of mine a flora picture of the year2010 has nothing to do with photography of flower but it is more related to the sigihting of commelina in Uttarakhand.
When I began my nature trails with BNHS, this was the first flower which made me very curious because of its beauty and excelleent photgraphy being tiny; there was an insertion in one of the calendar of BNHS, I don't remember the year, this is only for your information please.
then after Many a time I saw this flower but was most delighted when I saw it at Uttarankhand In August, 2010 during trek to Valley of Flowers with my trekmates;
This one is taken during my return journey from Ghangaria to Govindghat on 24th August, 2010.
Geeta Rane
________________________________________________________________________Muthu Karthick
Dear all,
I submit this picture for 'Flora Picture of the Year-2011' as Gargji initiated. This notorious weed always gives gorgeous poses for camera; I love the medley of colour in this flower. Name: Lantana camara L. var. aculeata (L.) Mold.
Family: Verbenaceae
Location: Bear Shola, Kodaikanal, Southern Western ghats
Date: 07 Nov 2010
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Muthu Karthick, N
A. Sinha
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- •My Best Plant photo for 2010, , for me it captures the thrill of seeing this unusual “Amlaki” for the first time, and I could identify with EflorasIndia links
- Phyllanthus.reticulatus : a once commonly known plant which is vanishing from our environs and culture, but was found, still surviving, at the expanding edge of Bangalore city,
- I tasted the dark blue fruit which my local guides (also pictured), assured me, is edible ; it tasted slightly sour and also astringent , like black grape or blueberry. Which makes me think it may be rich in anti-oxidants. (Caution: reports from Africa suggest large does can be toxic)
- Current researchers are looking at anti-cancer and liver protective compounds from the leaves/ root
regards
A.Sinha
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