SEHSIEJ (Krem)

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

A collapse blocked sink named -pine-wood bamboo- (note 2) lies in a jungle edge below a limestone ridge east of a notable sandstone band. The sink leads to a crawl 3 m down through boulders to the mud floor of a dry stream bed which leads after about 5 m in a small chamber (1.5 by 2 m) with no way on. The eastern wall is solid rock, the rest are boulders. ETYMOLOGY: The Khasi noun -u 'seh- is an abbreviation or -u kseh- and means the pine-wood (SINGH, N 1906: 186) while the noun -u siej- or -ka siej- means the bamboo (SINGH, N 1906: 203). According to RAMAKANTHA, GUPTA & KUMAR (2003), Out of 136 species of bamboos found in India, 63 species in 22 genera are found in North-east India, spread over an area of 30'500 square kilometres. Distribution patterns of bamboos in the region reveal that the species of Bambusa, Dendrocalamus, Dinochloa, Cephalostachyum and Neohouzeoua are mostly confined to the lower altitude ranging between sea level and 600 m asl. Species of Arundinaria, Chimoobambusa, Semiarundinaria, Sinobambusa, Thamnocalamus and Phyllostachys are found in altitudes between 800 and 3500 m. The largest contribution to the growing stock is from Dendrocalamus strictus (45%), followed by Melocanna baccifera (20%), Bambusa bambos (13%), D. hamiltonii (7%) and B. tulda (5%), with the rest sharing 6%. About 25 species of bamboo are considered rare in North-east India. SITUATION: This collapsed sink lies in sometimes deforested land somewhere above the Wah Ryngo (stream) and was got at by walking some 20 minutes (800 m in a direct line on 068°) from a questionable GPS position (note 1) in the Umthe area (after R. Galloway 2000.02.20 Mss: Krem Sesiej; Brooks, S J 2000.05.29 personal correspondence). CAVE LIFE: Harvestmen (Opiliones) between boulders near the surface.obambusa, Semiarundinaria, Sinobambusa, Thamnocalamus and Phyllostachys are found in altitudes between 800 and 3500 m. The largest contribution to the growing stock is from Dendrocalamus strictus (45%), followed by Melocanna baccifera (20%), Bambusa bambos (13%), D. hamiltonii (7%) and B. tulda (5%), with the rest sharing 6%. About 25 species of bamboo are considered rare in North-east India. SITUATION: This collapsed sink lies in sometimes deforested land somewhere above the Wah Ryngo (stream) and was got at by walking some 20 minutes (800 m in a direct line on 068°) from a questionable GPS position (note 1) in the Umthe area (after R. Galloway 2000.02.20 Mss: Krem Sesiej; Brooks, S J 2000.05.29 personal correspondence). CAVE LIFE: Harvestmen (Opiliones) between boulders near the surface.