The figures waving at us from way up in the lush hills before us appeared only a few millimetres tall and that was my first moment of realisation that we had somewhat (?) fallen behind the rest of the ten, 15-to-50s friends headed due north-northwest trekking along the Duke’s Nose trail from Kurvande village, Maval. The “we” were Junior and me; he exhilarated being on his first moderate climb and I delirious being on my first getaway from a virulent world in nearly a couple of years. The “why” was obvious (if you know me well) – who in the right frame of mind would hurry along a trail with boulders harbouring a treasure trove of mosses and bryophytes, and the muddy slopes covered with thickets of pteridophytes? Not that we could ID several of the species, but observable features were noted, probabilities discussed and pictures clicked with my mobile camera – all in all for this duo it could well have been an expedition into the Amazon!
As the spiritedly gesticulating forms disappeared behind a curtain of wispy clouds, I calculated our odds of catching up with them by slogging through an odd shallow valley and over a couple of minor hills, and the sum total did not look too encouraging. Moreover, there were numerous trails running in the general direction of the targeted peak and for once the omnipotent GPS lady refused to co-operate in her monotonous drone. Just then a small team of rock-climbers, ropes and other paraphernalia peeping from their backpacks, overtook us and the adventure spirit soared in our solitary souls. Following their lead, trudging up one slippery trail after another and climbing through footholds between moss-laden rocks, we reached the penultimate plateau pretty soon.
Just as we were about to commence the last leg of our ascent, casting a casual eye to the left, I stopped dead in my tracks. There, beyond a small patch of lush, dew laden grass, the terrain dipped gently into a valley which seemed to exude a bewildering vivacity with a profusion of greens. And dotting the herbage were intermittent splotches of whites and yellows – wild blossoms of the monsoon! Such was the allure of this vibrant valley that the object of my trek stood altered and literally went downhill that instant. Dragging befuddled Junior with renewed vigour, I started making my way down the slopes through the dense vegetation, one keen eye on the blossoms. Luckily we managed to reach a couple of blooming inflorescences before the thickets became impenetrable. Crouching there in the humid undergrowth amidst a swarm of buzzing flies we managed to take some notes and a few pictures of these beautiful flowers which were among the most beautiful we had ever seen [I later identified it as the Konkan Pinda (Pinda concanensis) and have described it at length below].
Having soaked in the delights of the bounties of Mother Nature, and a mild drizzle, we climbed up the slopes following a troupe of bonnet macaques to a nearby hillock and sprawled out upon a rocky outcrop, content and momentarily satiated, awaiting our friends on their descent. We did miss out on the pinnacle by a few metres but took home a wealth of knowledge and a bouquet of fragrant memories!



[Pinda concanensis (family: Apiaceae), commonly known as Konkan Pinda, is endemic to the Western Ghats of Maharashtra, and is mostly seen in the elevated plateaus and grasslands, often among boulders and on edges of cliffs around Kaas Plateau Satara, Kalsubai, Prabalgad, Rajmachi and Lohagad.
Belonging to the same family as carrot, celery and parsley, this umbellifer is an annual herb with tuberous roots. The short branched stems have pinnate leaves which are ovate, toothed, with three-lobed leaflets. Flowering around August to November, the white flowers are arranged in compound umbels, petals of the outer flowers larger, obovate and 2-lobed.
Previously named Heracleum concanense, it was shown to have neither a close affinity to Vanasushava nor to belong to Heracleum, but to constitute a distinct monotypic endemic genus Pinda, as described by P.K. Mukherjee & L. Constance; Kew Bulletin, 41(1): 223-229 (1986).
A new species, Pinda shrirangii was recently reported by Gosavi & Chandore, Nordic Journal of Botany, 38 (7), (2020): n. pag. from a high-elevation region of the northern Western Ghats. The new species is closely allied to this only other species in the genus, Pinda.]
– Narendra Nayak © 2021
Serendipity for sure. You wax quite lyrical.
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Thank you so much, Pat! 🙂
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Very beautiful pictures and I enjoyed your reading your post.
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Thank you so much for your kind words of appreciation! 🙏🏻🙂
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You are very welcome.
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Beautiful post, and the lush green in the photo amazing, I can understand the excitement of being in such a lovely place, it always brings serenity and joy to see such beauty.
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Thank you so much, Laura, for reading and for your appreciation!
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A lovely description of a lovely plant. I recognized the family immediately; we have a white hedge parsley that looks much the same, and a yellow plant known as Tauschia that also resembles yours. It’s great fun to recognize family members from so far away!
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Thanks a lot, Ma’am, and how right you are! Plant taxonomy knows no man-made boundaries and it is fascinating to study the geographical and climatic spread of plant species. I looked up the plants you mention and they are lovely – thanks for sharing! 🙂
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Sometimes it’s better to alter one’s plan and follow one’s intuition than stick to the schedule and feel regret about missing out on some novel experience. It sounds as though made the right decision and enjoyed a wonderful time of deep exploration.
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Well said, Tanja. I’ve never taken the beaten path in life, so it would anyways have been uncharacteristic for me to simply fall in line. 😄
And this one was a worthwhile decision! 🙂
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It certainly sounds like it!
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Those flowers look like miniature lacecap hydrangeas, even though they’re totally different. And it is true that the people in a group who stop to look at plants fall behind the rest, but it’s worth it!
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Yes, Ma’am; this plant is endemic to a very small but extremely eco-sensitive area of our state and not reported elsewhere yet.
True – I mostly fall behind when on nature trails, and end up with the best sightings! 🙂
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beautiful!!
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Thank you, Prapti!
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Wonderful that you managed to get out too. Duke’s Nose trail sounds great. I wonder whether I can get away for the simple little walks in the region.
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Yes Sir; after nearly two years, it was truly bliss! Your recent posts build up the monsoon mood really well, and I am sure you will be able to have fruitful little walks in that region if you can get away from the city. The crazy crowds of the weekends head to the usual touristy haunts and few are interested in appreciating the little gifts of nature!
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Thank god for the craziness of such crowds
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Beautiful.
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Thanks a lot, Rupali!
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So happy to read this post. Doing something adventurous at a time like this, what else can one ask for! The monsoon greenery is evident in your pictures. So what if you missed the pinnacle, this was such a worthwhile detour. And, now my yearning for such outings only gets accentuated.
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Thanks for reading, Neelanjana. Yes, it was such an awesome feeling – this trek after nearly two years! When amidst nature, it is always the journey, cause there never will be a destination. I think you can start off again at least locally with so many short trip options to undertake there.
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What a wonderful outing for you and Junior! Your description is superb, allowing me to feel as if I was tagging along. I can imagine how glorious it all seemed to you, after such a long absence. As you eloquently wrote, it’s always best to follow one’s curiosity, investigating up close. I think that’s why I enjoy having my canine companions when I’m on trails – they never complain when I stop, take photos, or change direction/destination because something caught my eye!
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Thank you so much, Ma’am, for your wonderful words of appreciation! We are canine lovers too, and enjoy their company immensely – hopefully we’ll have one in the family in the near future! 🙂
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Very beautiful very nice
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Thank you!
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Friend, you carried me off on a wonderful trip. And the flowers are so adorable 😍.
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Thank you so much, Suni! 🙏🏻🙂
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Stunning photos 💛
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Thank you so much! 🙂
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You discovered a treasure.
The flowers are so pretty.
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Thank you, Swati! Yes, it was a revelation for me and then there was the thrill of being one with nature after such a long time!
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So beautiful. Nature surprises us in so many ways. Thank you for taking us along.
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Thank you, Ma’am, for reading and for your kind comments. 🙏🏻🙂
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