|
Gypsophila cerastioides D.Don, Prodr. Fl. Nepal. 213 1825. (Syn: Timaeosia cerastioides (D. Don) Klotzsch; Timaeosia rupestris Edgew. & Hook.f.);
.
jip-SOF-il-uh — from the Greek gypsos (gypsum) and philos (loving) … Dave’s Botanary ker-ras-tee-OY-deez — resembling Cerastium (genus name from the Greek keras (horn) … Dave’s Botanary . commonly known as: Himalayan baby’s breath, chickweed baby’s-breath . Native to: Himalaya (Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan) . Small perennial herb usually in subalpine forests and alpine meadows hardly reaching 10 cm in height, white villous; leaves opposite, 1.5-3 cm long, broadly obovate to spathulate, narrowed towards base, villous especially along margins; flowers white, 6-12 mm across, in congested dichasial cymes; pedicels up to 10 mm long; calyx 5-6 mm long, campanulate, white villous, with obscure nerves; petals white with 3 purple veins, 7-9 mm long, spathulate-obovate, retuse at tip; styles 2-3; capsule ovoid. .    Flower of Dalhousie al180411a:
Flowers from upper Chamba – id al161011:
A small plant with a beautiful flower… Location Upper Chamba
Altitude 4000 mts Habit herb Habitat wild Height 5 inches I think we found the same flower at around 4000 m in Sikkim. I would go with Gypsophila cerastoides for both
Sir, I got confused because of the i.d from Dalhousie for Gypsophila cerastoides which had no pink veins and the leaves too seemed different.. posting them again for comparison Be prepared to ignore small variations. In your first photographs darker veins can be seen in the lower flower even in the thumbnail
VOF Week: Gypsophila cerastioides along Govindghat-Ghagaria Trail: So many flowers to watch and photographed in a very short spell, i literally got saturated. I am sure everyone would have gone thru same phase. One is bound to miss few flowers. Yes … Another common Himalayan plant in alpine region.
VoF Week :: DV :: 02 AUG 12 – 0336 :: Gypsophila cerastioides (spelled cerastoides at The Plants List) at Valley of Flowers: 2 AUG 12
Valley of Flowers … about 11000 – 12000 ft I am sure that’s a mistake at The Plants List. “cerastoides” does not make sense. It should mean “similar to cerastium” and so it should be “cerastioides“. IPNI reports G. cerastioides, and so does GRIN. Agreed …, therefore stuck to cerastioides. Agreed … and …
VoF Week: 19092012 BS 23 Small herb for id from way to Ghangriya: Gypsophila cerastoides I hope
Gypsophila cerastioides D.Don
jip-SOF-il-uh — from the Greek gypsos (gypsum) and philos (loving) … Dave’s Botanary
ker-ras-tee-OY-deez — resembling Cerastium (genus name from the Greek keras (horn) … Dave’s Botanary commonly known as: Himalayan baby’s breath, chickweed baby’s-breath Native to: Himalaya (Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan) References: Flowers of India • eFlora • NPGS / GRIN at Valley of Flowers on 02 AUG 12 Yes … Thanks for sharing excellent photgraphs.
Caryophyllaceae Week: Gypsophila cerastioides along Govindghat-Ghagaria Trail–PKA5: Yes … Extremely good photographs.
Caryophyllaceae Week: Gysophila cerastoides VOF trip: Very well illustrated upload. . Caryophyllaceae Week: Gypsophila ceratioides from Kashmir:
Caryophyllaceae Week: Gypsophila cerastioides from Kashmir :
Gypsophila cerastioides D. Don, Prodr. Fl. Nepal. 215. 1825. Small perennial herb usually in subalpine forests and alpine meadows hardly reaching 10 cm in height, white villous; leaves opposite, 1.5-3 cm long, broadly obovate to spathulate, narrowed towards base, villous especially along margins; flowers white, 6-12 mm across, in congested dichasial cymes; pedicels up to 10 mm long; calyx 5-6 mm long, campanulate, white villous, with obscure nerves; petals white with 3 purple veins, 7-9 mm long, spathulate-obovate, retuse at tip; styles 2-3; capsule ovoid. Photographed from Apharwat, Kashmir Another good plant upload from Caryophyllaceae. I think the family has representation mostly in northern parts of India.
Flora of Himachal Pradesh: 31102013 BS1 Caryophyllaceae Member for id from Shimla : Attachments (4). 4 posts by 3 authors. Looks like Gysophila cerastoides…. very beautiful pics…
Plumbaginaceae and Primulaceae (incl. Myrsinaceae) Fortnight:Primulaceae Lysimachia prolifera from MandalCopta Road-second variant -GSJUN18 : 4 posts by 3 authors. Attachments (3). I am afraid that it is not in Lysimachia; looks more like Gypsophylla cerastioides (Caryophyllaceae). On first seeing the pics, I was also having same view as expressed by … I think yes Gypsophylla cersatioides. Thanks a lot … My few photographs of G. cerastioides had long spreading petals, perhaps that confused me.
identification of the Plant : 3 posts by 3 authors. Attachments (1).
kindly help me the identification of the plant growing in high altitudes of Kashmir Himalaya Seems Gypsophylla cerastioides (Caryophyllaceae). However, leaves of this species are not visible in the picture and the visible leaves are of some Anaphalis sp. Yes Gypsophila cerastoides
Gypsophila cerastioides –enroute Dhel pass- GHNP – PKA5 : 4 posts by 4 authors. Attachments (7).
This small beautiful herb was spotted en-route Dhel Pass on the rocks near a water stream at an altitude of approx. 3600m.
Bot. name: Gypsophila cerastioides Family: Caryophyllaceae Yes … Very good photographs. Beautiful pics. Very distinct veins on petals; not seen here in Uttarakhand.
Gypsophila cerastioides/ABMAR33 : 4 posts by 4 authors. Attachments (4)
I found these today just above Mcleodganj at the bottom of a mountain path and photographed on the phone. These tiny flowers were about 8-15mm across. I suspect that these are the Hiamalayan Baby’s Breath. Please advise.
Gypsophila cerastioides
Above Mcleodganj, Dharamshala, HP
1800m approx.
29 March 2015 Yes it is Gypsophila cerastioides (Caryophyllaceae). Yes Gypsophila cerastoides. Very good find … rightly identified..!!
Family: Caryophyllaceae Beautifully photographed..
Herb for Id from Narkanda- NS October 01 : 7 posts by 4 authors. Attachments (4)
Please find attached the pics of a herb, recorded from Narkanda, H.P. on Hatoo road.
This prostrate herb is having quite a fair distribution at that landscape, but only one individual could be seen in flowering.
I hope the id can be nailed out…
I have also posted this plant on efi for ID Difficult to ID as floral details are not visible (poly/ gamopetalous/ stamen no/ carpels).. If I have to make a WILD guess I will say Gypsophila cerastoides (Caryophyllaceae). A late season population, unusual in having solitary flower. Thanks, … Appears close to images at Gypsophila cerastoides D.Don
Pl. check.
Yes it is close indeed. Images taken in late season or very early season depict unusual structures many a times and difficult to identify.
For correct identification sufficient details are required too. The images in discussion may be taken as G.cerastoides with a caution that these show unusual form of plant.
ID Requested AT OCT2016/06 : 5 posts by 2 authors. Attachments (1)
Kindly identify Gypsophila cerastoides as per another thread.
Fwd: Gypsophila cerastioides in the New York Botanical Garden : 16 posts by 5 authors. Attachments (2)
Have noticed recent posts re: … identifying a specimen from Narkanda as Gypsophila cerastioides.
Came across this plant growing in the rockery of the New York Botanical Garden, the Bronx.
Do members considered it has been correctly labelled?
I was on a lecture tour (mostly to North American Rock Garden Society chapters) which provided the opportunity for me to spend some time in the herbaria of the New York Botanical Garden (when speaking to the Manhattan Chapter) and Ann Arbor, Michigan (when speaking to the Great Lakes Chapter, NARGS and gave a seminar at the University about the ‘Himalayan Travels of Walter Koelz’ who with Thakur Rup Chand from Lahoul and their local collectors made extensive collections in the NW Himalaya including Kulu Valley, Lahoul & Ladakh in the 1930s; Koelz was a zoologist engaged by Russian NIcholas Roerich for the Urusvati Institute at Naggar, Kulu Valley and pressed a Kohli Memorial Gold Medal to the Herbarium, see: https://sites.google.com/a/shpa.org.uk/main/kohli-memorial-gold-medals (scroll down to 2011).
Duplicate sets of pressed specimens collected for Roerich went to Ann Arbor and the New York Botanical Garden, where they were subsequently identified and labelled by Dr Ralph Stewart after he retired from being Principal of the Gordon College, Rawalpindi. Stewart, whilst working in Pakistan regularly visited the New York Botanic Garden Herbarium.
The best quality set of pressed specimens (with good field notes) I know of the flora of upper Kulu Valley and Lahoul anywhere in the world are at Ann Arbor, Michigan – far better than Kew or the Natural History Museum in London. What a shame that the duplicate set of these lies, abandoned for 80 years “behind-the-scenes” at the Urusvati Institute – no doubt many of the thousands of specimens have rotted away or become infested by insects. What a waste of such a hard-won resource. I have tried, on 3 occasions, to gain access to what is left of the specimens to undertake an initial assessment but have not been permitted entry……
This saddens me. Those is a senior position should have done something about it decades ago!
To me this species is G. cerastioides D.Don The plant here is a cultivated specimen and if the records of provenance are faithful (as I think they are) it should be G. cerastioides only.
Two species of Gypsophila are known in Western Himalaya- G. cerastioides and G. sedifolia Kurz.
G. sedifolia (=G. tibetica) is quite different with linear leaves, smaller flowers and compact inflorescence (Herb specimen at Kew- http://apps.kew.org/herbcat/getImage.do?imageBarcode=K000725779). It is known from Kashmir, above 2700m vide Majumdar (1993).
G. ceratioides D.Don is widely distributed from Pakistan to Arunachal Pradesh and occurs above 2600m. It is quite variable also and I have seen one population in North Garhwal with petals equal to sepals.
David Don while describing the species used specific epithet as ‘cerastioides’ but The Plant List 2013 show ‘cerastoides’ which I think is incorrect. Thanks … You mention records of provenance? Is there a site for plants grown at NYBG and their provenance?
Whilst being shown “behind-the-scenes” I got a quick look at old notebooks for plant introductions pre-WW2 but did not check anything for G.cerastioides, so presumably this may well be widely cultivated in North America. Many plants in cultivation in N.US originated from nurseries, sometimes seed exchanges in the UK.
The UK Royal Horticultural Society has references which say when a plant was first thought to be introduced into cultivation but that tends to be the first introduction to places like Kew or through the Royal Horticultural Society itself.
There are often one-off introductions as well, sometimes earlier. Britisher (and other European) visitors to the foothills of the Himalaya did, on occasion gather seeds of local plants and took back to the UK in addition to introductions by formal expeditions.
G.cerastioides being common on mineral soils in Kashmir @ 2400-3900m could easily have been spotted by visitors. I have to say I personally did not pay much attention to this plant during my visits to Kashmir in the 1980s. My attention was only drawn to it on the Rohtang in Himachal Pradesh by others. Never found it especially ‘ornamental’ to my eye but “beauty is very much in the eye of the beholder”.
As for other species of Gypsophila in the Himalaya. Stewart lists 9 species from Pakistan and Kashmir, though most of these were from S.Pakistan or probably reduced to synonyms of existing species. I have not checked.
I am in agreement that G.sedifolia is a completely different plant to G.cerastioides. Dickore & Klimes list the former but not the latter, in their check-list for Ladakh (2005).
It would be more accurate to say that G.sedifolia is recorded from N.Pakistan (Chitral) and Ladakh (which is of course part of the Indian State of J&K but as the plant has no records for Kashmir Valley, this distinction is meaningful – the species appears very much one of the borderlands of
Western Tibet). Stewart gives an altitudinal range of 2700-3900m. Koelz collected it in Zanskar.
You are right that Gypsophila cerastioides is the correct spelling. The authors of ‘Flora of Lahaul-Spiti’ are incorrect is using G.cerastoides –
they found G.cerastioides on moist slopes at Gramphoo which sounds feasible as I have seen the plant on the Rohtang itself – it is unlikely that this species occurs in the drier parts of Lahaul.
But my query was more to do with whether the plant at the NYBG was firstly, definitely a Gypsophila and then not so much a different species originating in the Himalaya but if any other members of the genus from other parts of the world are of similar appearance to G.cerastioides? And thus was the specimen at NYBG one of these? ‘The Plant List’ accepts 151 species for this genus – which makes it large and complicated!
Stewart mentions G.paniculata as a garden plant in Pakistan, which he knew as ‘Baby’s Breath’ (a native of Europe) widely used as a Florist plant – apparently widely cultivated in Peru.
When checking the identity of plants in the wild, one usually can limit the possibilities to those species previously recorded from the region concerned. I have found plants in cultivation to OFTEN be misidentified. In the case of specimens labelled as belonging to species which occur in the Himalaya, my informal research into examples from specialist nurseries, commercial seed companies, seed exchanges and even some botanic garden Index Semina, that AT LEAST 50% were misidentified.
Few keep good records of the provenance of introductions into cultivation (this applies to botanic gardens) and rapidly (often within years, or certainly after decades where the specimen originated is often lost). I am not speaking of examples of hybridisation.
With large genera with species from many different parts of the world, it can be difficult to work out the correct identification. Even when they are correctly identified, plants in cultivation do not always match its general appearance in the wild. This is particularly true of higher alpines, which IF they can be grown at all (many such species represent a challenge to even the most skilled and dedicated growers), often not taking kindly to warmer, softer conditions at sea-level in another country, can end up not “true-to-type”, being “leggy and unattractive”.
Take the genus Cremanthodium (found in the Himalaya and SW China) as an example. Most species have proven a challenge for more than a century. The majority are virtually impossible to flower in the UK, whilst some growers in arctic Norway have succeeded with them – though I should add this is not just about low minimum temperatures; other considerations like day-length and light intensity may come into play?
Attempts at “Ex-Situ” Conservation of higher alpine species in the Indian Himalaya are in most cases doomed to fail, if attempts are made to grow specimens dug up at say 3600-4000m and then transported down thousands of feet to face comparatively high temperatures in a drier environment, which is the case for most botanic gardens. Unless specialist, environment-controlled, ‘alpine-houses’ exist, with highly skilled “hands-on” horticulturists looking after them, said species stand little chance of surviving long. And even if higher elevation ‘stations’ of botanical gardens are established it would be much better if attempts to grow them stemmed from seed, not digging up live plants. This would be more eco-friendly, especially if said species really were ‘Rare & Endangered’ and stand a greater chance of success, as in general, plants adapt better from seed. In some cases, “cuttings” might fare better and one is living the parent plants alive. Though, whichever propagation method is involved, skilled, dedicated horticulturalists are required to work at such ‘stations’.
Bernard Coventry (author of ‘Wild Flowers of Kashmir’) rented a hut at Gulmarg (like many Britishers did) conducted trials on ‘alpine’ Kashmir species whilst Conservator of Forests – during late 1920s and early 1930s, successfully flowering quite a number. Few of these species would survive long in Srinagar.
At the New York Botanic Garden (New York experiences seriously low winter temperatures and snow), they have a small traditional ‘alpine house’ which is not state-of-the-art environment-controlled but does have an alarm system in case the temperature rises above a certain point. New York experiences unpleasantly hot summers.
I saw no Himalayan species from higher elevations growing in the New York Botanic Garden rockery.
In my mail I mentioned that- The plant here is a cultivated specimen and if the records of provenance are faithful (as I think they are) it should be G. cerastioides only. I was referring to the original source of seeds which you have mentioned as Kullu area. So if the seeds were collected from Kullu are the species must be G.cerastioides as no other similar species is known there. I have checked my live images of Gypsophila cerastioides from Apharwat Kashmir, as well as herbarium images from Apharwat, Pir Panjal, Mahadeo peak and Lidderwat. They are fairly uniform and match very well with above images from NYBG. What a sorry state of affairs? It is pity on the managers of science, who mostly happen to be non scientists and bureaucrats. One who wants Thanks for contributing such wise comments.
It MIGHT not be too late to salvage at least some of the pressed specimens languishing “behind-the-scenes” at the Urusvati Institute at Naggar, Kulu Valley.
Just needs those senior enough to secure access (as I stated, I tried and failed three times) for someone able to assess the state of the specimens.
It could be, even 80+ years later, that sufficient specimens remain in satisfactory condition to justify something being done with them.
Clearly, a proportion will have been lost through rotting away and/or insect infestation. Perhaps the vast majority but dried specimens last centuries under suitable conditions. The 19th Century pressed specimens from India at Kew are still (mostly) in good condition.
And the hard, time-consuming work of IDENTIFICATION has already been done by Dr R Stewart and others at Ann Arbor, University of Michigan Herbarium – which as I said, holds the BEST set of pressed specimens (with good field notes) of Kulu Valley and Lahaul specimens IN ANY HERBARIUM IN THE WORLD. Though the nomenclature of many specimens will have to be brought up-to-date (as members see happening all-the-time on this site).
It would just be case of cross-referencing the collection numbers, then mounting, labelling and storing in cabinets. The specimens at Ann Arbor are a DUPLICATE SET of the ORIGINAL/FIRST SET collected for Roerich’s Institute.
The big expense (not to mention time & effort & skill) of exploring in the mountains of Kulu Valley & Lahaul was undertaken in the 1930s.
It really has been such a waste.
The involvement of THAKUR RUP CHAND (from Lahaul’s leading family at that time) in the collections was significant – very much Chand &
Koelz specimens, rather than just ‘Koelz’ specimens, not forgetting the considerable efforts of Wangyel and Rinchen Gialtsen
(who I awarded posthumous Kohli Memorial Gold Medals to in 2009 see: https://sites.google.com/a/shpa.org.uk/main/kohli-memorial-gold-medals).
IF sufficient specimens remain, they could form the basis of a QUALITY reference HERBARIUM for the region – all housed in a great location. CONSIDERABLE sums are raised by the admission charge for the Roerich Art Gallery. Surely, some of this could be spent on a project to FINALLY complete one of Roerich’s ORIGINAL objectives of having a REFERENCE collection of the region’s flora which INDIA should be PROUD OF.
I am in an ideal position to assist any projects that may materialise.
As for your photo – unfortunately it is not Cerastium cerastioides. Probably a Stellaria.
Not Gypsophila. It is Stellaria sp Hope Stellaria latifolia And sorry for the wrong upload. I remember, I have also clicked Gypsophila at Churdhar with you, … I’ll check the collection again when the time permits. Please check also for number of styles, should be 2 in S. latifolia, occurs in dry habitats, Stellaria aquatica now Myosoton aquaticum looks very similar but has 5 styles and very common in wet situations. Thank you, Sir. I’ll check for the characters suggested by you and report. I may be having some good photographs.
SK314JAN11-2016:ID : 8 posts by 4 authors. Attachments (4)
Location: Kalinchowk, Dolakha, Nepal
Altitude: 10000 ft.
Date: 24 July 2014 Cannot say beyond Caryophyllaceae.
I can only justify spending time attempting to identify species from Nepal belonging to genera I immediately recognise, especially those I am taking a special interest in.
Otherwise, my main focus is on flora of the NW Himalaya/Trans-Himalaya – more than enough to deal properly with such species.
Hopefully, someone else knows/recognises this. I am thinking about Gypsophila cerastioides… Thank you for the ID … Gypsophila cerastioides D. Don (accepted name)
Herb for ID, Dalhousie, Himachal Pradesh, NAW-JUL17-04 : 4 posts by 2 authors. Attachments (3)
Kindly identify this herb with white flowers photographed in May 2017 in Dalhousie, Himachal Pradesh. Pl. check with images at Gypsophila cerastoides D.Don Thank you …
Geranium sp ? : 5 posts by 3 authors. Attachments (2)
Wild herb from Rhotang pass area of Himachal
I do not think it is Geranium. Gypsophila cerastioides very likely!
       
Fw: [indiantreepix:17732] Request for ID 080809 Sinthan Pass 3 – indiantreepix | Google Groups . SK 3245 20 December 2021: 4 very high res. images. Location: Jumla, West Nepal
Altitude: 3000m.
Date: 24 August 2021
Habit : Wild Acanthophyllum cerastioides, Caryophyllaceae (Gipsophila cerastioides) to me. Acanthophyllum cerastioides (D. Don) Madhani & Zarre . Gypsophila cerastioides from Dalhousie-GS28022022-: 7 very high res. images.
Gypsophila cerastioides photographed from Dalhousie, 28-4-2015 . SK 3621 20 August 2022: 3 very high res. images. Location: Humla, Simikot, Nepal
Altitude: 3300m.
Date: 10 June 1022
Habit : Wild Gypsophila sp. Acanthophyllum cerastioides (D. Don) Madhani & Zarre . ID Request- Herb enroute Dev Kyara- Uttarakhand- PKA12: 2 images.
Sharing few pics of a herb spotted enroute Dev Kyara, Uttarakhand. Requesting ID pl. Gypsophila cerastioides D.Don .
      Acanthophyllum cerastioides (D.Don) Madhani & Zarre: 6 high res. images.
Location: Dhorpatan, Baglung, Nepal
Date: 31May 2023
Elevation: 2900 m.
Habit : Wild Syn : Gypsophila cerastioides D.Don
Yes, Styles 2(or 3) as per Flora of China. Here I find three. Generally I see only two at . References:
POWO (Acanthophyllum cerastioides (D.Don) Madhani & Zarre) IPNI (Gypsophila cerastioides D.Don) The Plant List (Gypsophila cerastoides ) Flowers of India eFlora NPGS / GRIN
|
Disclaimer
1. For any mistake in identification or for becoming efloraofindia e-group member (for contributing towards building of efloraofindia or otherwise), pl. mail to indiantreepix@googlegroups.com or itpmods@googlegroups.com
2. For better viewing of species’ pages, colour scheme & formatting is being followed as: Description of the species, Details of other flora species on the same page, Uses/ harms, Distribution, Abundance/ Location/ Flowering time & date, Habit & habitat, Etymology & pronunciation, Other interesting information, stories etc., Others, Botanical names, Common names, Main point of discussion below, Discussion about Botanical names.
Navigation
- Award for eFloraofIndia
- Colour scheme & formatting
- Copyrights, Permissions, Citations
- eFloraofIndia appreciated
- Names of Plants in India site
- Flowersofindia site
- Posting Guidelines
- For members’ information
- Logo, Tagline, Acronym
- Volunteers required
- ‘Pitamah’ of eFloraofIndia
- ‘अजेय’ ‘Ajey’ of eFloraofIndia
- ‘Saarthi’ ‘सारथि’ of eFloraofIndia
- ‘Jewel’ of eFloraofIndia
- ‘Grassman’ of eFloraofIndia
Follow us
