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A wonderful white flowered species that I got from Roland Bream, who holds the National Collection of Roscoea.
In the wild it is confined to a small area in Nepal. Jill Cowley writes: "This species was described in 1980 from herbarium specimens of three gatherings in 1952 made by Polunin, Sykes & Williams, and five made in 1954 by Stainton, Sykes & Williams. It seems, though, than no living plants were collected for cultivation, so that no painting of the plant in flower has been possible ... Half a century had to pass before this beautiful species was introduced to cultivation ... This species grows in open grassy and rocky habitats and in shady situations in open mossy pine forest. At present it has only been recorded from northern central Nepal in the states of Jumla, Piuthan and Palpa, and in the Kali Gandaki river area, at altitudes between 2300 and 3050m; it flowers in June and July. Roscoea nepalensis has no clear affinities with species within or outside its known geographical range." In 2002 Edward Needham wrote: "Roscoea nepalensis has a more westerly distribution than the other Himalayan species. It has been recorded from the Kali Gandaki Valley in central west Nepal to the Jumla region, though it probably extends further west. In the Kali Gandaki Valley it is to be found sparingly (being much persecuted by goats) in the pinewoods bordering the river. The sides of this valley receive more rain and broad-leaved forest replaces pine; there only |
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| 29th July 2007 | ||
