Plant hunting in China
I have been extremely fortunate to have taken part in 3 plant expeditions to Yunnan province in SW China. Our groups were there under the sponsorship of the Kunming Botanical Garden, which provided us with guides, lodging and transportation. The first trip was in May into June, 1996, for four weeks, to observe the plants in the wild, and to gather a small amount of material for propagation. The second trip was in Sept., 1997, and the third trip was in September of 2000, for seed collecting. They were unforgettable experiences and very productive both for the plants and seeds we came home with, and in the relationships we established.
Yunnan province in Southwest China is a very diverse and rich botanical area, ranging from the subtropical in the south, where it borders Viet Nam, to very high alpine areas (23,500 feet) in the northwest corner on the border of Tibet, where it follows the southern arm of the Himalayas. Here, on only 4% of the land mass of China, over 60% of the species that grow in China are found, with a large percentage that only grow in Yunnan. We saw so much, but we barely scratched the surface.
Included is my full journal account of the first trip, and a brief revisit of the second.
Collector's Nursery,16804 NE102nd Ave, Battle Ground, WA 98604, 360-