Orostachys thyrsiflora (DC.) Fisch. ex Sweet, Mém. Soc. Imp. Naturalistes Moscou 2: 274 1809. (syn: Cotyledon leucantha Ledeb.; Cotyledon rosea Lessing ; Cotyledon spinosa C. B. Cl.; Cotyledon thyrsiflora (Fisch.) Maxim.; Orostachys thyrsiflora (Fisch.) (ambiguous synonym); Orostachys thyrsiflora var. rosea (Less.) V.V.Byalt; Sedum spinosum var. thyrsiflorum (Fisch.) Fröderstr.; Umbilicus leucanthus (Ledeb.) G. Don; Umbilicus thyrsiflorus (Fisch.) DC.);
     
E-Russia (Urals), W-Siberia, Altai, Kazakstan, W-Siberia, C-Siberia,
Tadjikistan, Kyrgysztan, Kazakhstan, China (Xinjiang), Tibet, Mongolia, Pakistan
(Karakorum)
as per Catalogue of Life ;


As “light relief” from more complicated and time-consuming genera combined with the pleasure of viewing ‘habitat’ images in the mountains, I have been taking a further look at specimens photographed in Baltistan (part of which is in the Karakoram Range not the ‘Himalaya’ or ‘Trans Himalaya’).
I am providing a link to Marijin’s fine images of the Crassulaceae member Orostachys thyrsiflora:
Stewart knew it as Cotyledon thyrisiflora from Baltistan, particularly the Biafo Glacier region and also W.Tibet (Falconer 482). 
‘Western Tibet’ in the British days often meant Ladakh (exact locations were not always given with 19th Century herbarium specimens) but I do not know of any definite records for this species. 
It should be looked out for in Ladakh and being so distinctive should be readily recognised.
Pleasing to draw attention to a distinctive example of Crassulaceae given how ‘difficult’ Rhodiola is!





References:

Catalogue of Life  The Plant List Ver.1.1
 IPNI  GBIF (with type specimen) Flora of China 
Flora of Pakistan  

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *