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Help Id this neat succulent from Cho Oyu

Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2012 12:18 am
by infiniteohms
I saw these great photos on someones webpage about their climb of Cho Oyu, a mountain on the border of Nepal and China. I'd love to find out what its called... i'd also love to grow one if possible.

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Re: Help Id this neat succulent from Cho Oyu

Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2012 1:47 am
by Rosemarie
Interesting! I saw the top photo just today on someone's Pinterest board. Made a note of it, because I like it & also wanted to know what it was. The pic I saw said it was atop Mt. Kathmandu. It looks somewhat like a Crassula, but I really have no idea. Do you know if the bottom pic is supposed to be buds of the plant in the first pic?

Re: Help Id this neat succulent from Cho Oyu

Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2012 3:00 pm
by One Windowsill
Could be one of the Gentian family.

Re: Help Id this neat succulent from Cho Oyu

Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2012 7:57 pm
by One Windowsill
Gentiana urnula Harry Sm. looks to be very close. I don't know if any others are similar enough to be mistaken but synonyms include Gentiana amoena var. major Burkill, Gentiana amoena f. pallida C.Marquand and Gentianodes urnula (Harry Sm.) Á.Löve & D.Löve.

http://www.tibetplant.com/plant/Gentian ... rnula.html

http://gentian.rutgers.edu/genera/genGentianaimgTZ.htm

http://www.flickr.com/photos/19863711@N ... hotostream

http://www.thebhutantravel.com/gallery/ ... -of-bhutan Last column, third row, much darker than other varieties.

Altitude and location would be correct: "4700-6200 m; E. Himalaya (Nepal to Bhutan), S.E. Tibet." according to the Annotated Checklist of the Flowering Plants of Nepal. http://www.efloras.org/flora_page.aspx?flora_id=110

That only took about an hour and a half of looking through gentian descriptions, I should have started with Gentiana but it looked a bit different, I looked through a lot of Gentianodes.

Re: Help Id this neat succulent from Cho Oyu

Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2012 8:19 pm
by Rosemarie
FANTASTIC research, One Windowsill!! I believe you've nailed it!! I had been looking for alpine plants in Gentiana, after searching images-Wikipedia-which did not list urnula. Just coming back after finding the rutgers link you gave.

This is such a neat plant! Not a succulent, but I'd love to have/grow...too bad I can't. Thanks for your efforts to find the name!

Re: Help Id this neat succulent from Cho Oyu

Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2012 8:50 pm
by One Windowsill
I presume that you mean it is a little hot where you are to be growing this, Rosemarie. The seed was listed in last (but not this) year's seedlist from the Alpine Garden Society. Those sort of offerings are usually met by an undignified scrum of enthusiasts so it would be a gamble joining just for the one species.

http://www.alpinegardensociety.net/

It may not be a succulent but it must be a very specialised xerophyte as it is so dry up there, even when the water is not frozen. Ordinary gentians are famous for their fussiness, this one is probably going to be a challenge.

Re: Help Id this neat succulent from Cho Oyu

Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2012 9:35 pm
by Rosemarie
Yes, that's what I meant. It's too hot here to even attempt to grow plants like that. I see neat plants & want them all. But then, I have a reality check! :) Thank you for the information!