Inula royleana

 

Images by Gurcharan Singh (Inserted by J.M.Garg) (For
more images & complete details, click on the links)

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Inula rolyleana from Apharwat, Kashmir: Inula royleana DC., Prodr. 5:464. 1836 

Graceful alpine herb similar to Inula grandiflora in producing a single terminal head on long peduncle but very distinct in its larger (15-25 cm long as against 5-8 cm) basal leaves, distinctly clasping (and not sessile or subsessile) larger leaves up to 15 cm long, and larger head (10-12 cm across as against 5-7 cm), ray florets slender, golden yellow, nearly 5-6 cm long (as against 2 cm), involucre bracts ovate. 
Photographed Apharwat mountain at altitude of 3200 m in July.

Actually when the group was first started, people knew plants by their flowers only. For last few years I have been stressing the importance of other parts of plant. I have often written on this forum that if members supply at least 3-4 good photographs, identification process would be much simpler.
1. A photograph of habit in which leaves and position of flowers is visible.
2. Close up of side view of flower to show bract (if present), pedicel, calyx and relative size of calyx and corolla
3. top view close up of flower to show petals, stamens and carpels
4. Fruit if available.
In recent days I have also been impressing upon the need to have measurements but putting some sort of scale, since zooming can highly distort the size estimation.

You are absolutely right sir. I think we should use a scale as a measuring tool during photography along with all of your suggestions.

Cut any white plastic of 2mm x 2mm and put it on the leaves while capturing image. It will help.
I used to put the flowers on graph paper and then take pictures. Then I later improvised and started keeping a black board with a scale permanently fixed on one side.
It really helps in understanding the dimensions.
I shared image of lectotype of Passiflora caerulea in the morning.
Have you ever imagines why they have colour bands on the sides? They also have a scale.

Inula royleana photographed from Apharwat Kashmir, alt. 3300 m.

 

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Fwd: Inula royleana in Kashmir – ‘Royle’s Inula’ : 1 post by 1 author. Attachments (6)

Further to my scrutiny and additions to postings of Inulas on eFI.
Inula royleana is a highly ornamental plant readily distinguished from what was Inula grandiflora.
I am positing some close-ups of the golden-yellow flower-heads plus distant views of its habitat, protected beside Juniper bushes close to Betula utilis forest at the edge of Khelanmarg above Gulmarg, Kashmir – well known to …
The tall thistles in the 4th image are Cirsium falconeri ( I shall be posting images of this shortly).
Wonderful Iris hookeriana was in flower close-by.
My Kashmiri companion that day was rather concerned about exploring far into the birch forest in case “Balu” appeared……
Plus an image, scanned in from a slide taken in the UK in the late 1980s.
Flowers of the Himalaya considered I.royleana to be common & prominent in Kashmir in forests & shrubberies @ 2100-4000m from Pakistan to Kashmir.
Stewart found it on all alpine meadows on the south slopes of mountains, often among junipers @ 2700-4000m.
These images represent an improvement upon those posted previously which showed rather straggly ray florets which had not fully developed/opened, hence might give a false impression of Inula royleana and contribute to further confusion between Inula species.  I am confused why this posting was headed Inula racemosa? See: https://groups.google.com/forum/?hl=en&fromgroups#!topic/indiantreepix/0Qxt-YNBBuc 
The attached images show the typical somewhat dropping florets, markedly different to the other Inulas found in the region.
I only have a few images which do not show the rear of the flower-heads, the involucral bracts but nevertheless add to our visual understanding of this plant.
It would be good if members could take good quality images of the ‘missing’ parts of this species when next in Kashmir to improve further reference material on eFI.

 
  
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