>The trip to Taiwan resulted from a long standing invitation. Are
>there Nepenthes to be found within a half day's driving distance
>from Taipei? What kind?
The only species of _Nepenthes_ I could imagine to occur on Taiwan is
_N.mirabilis_. I am not aware of any collections, however, and my only
source of information is rumours (remember the story about _Nepenthes_ in
Africa proper!). So if you only want to see _Nepenthes_ you should better
try to find a Botanic Garden rather than to hike the island.
Of the other Taiwanese cps, the only +/- interesting species is the
epiphytic _Utricularia striatula_ (found between Kibisha & Taikanko).
>The Thailand leg resulted from the availability of a Thai friend
>who knows the countryside well and who offered to show me around.
>He's not a cp enthusiast, though, and so doesn't know much about
>Nepenthes. Where in Thailand can the Nepenthes be found? What
>kinds are there (besides mirabilis)?
_Nepenthes smilesii_ HEMSL. (KEW BULL.:116, 1895) was described from
N Thailand at Baw Saw Kawng (Smiles s.n. (K)), but this is generally (not
so by ADAM & WILCOCK, however!) considered a synonym of _Nepenthes
mirabilis_.
There is some chance to find the other Indochinese species (viz.
_N.thorelii_ and _N.anamensis_) in Thailand, but these do not seem to grow
"on the roads" there (I do not know of any collection from Thailand).
Other cp species found or to be expected in Thailand:
_Drosera peltata_
_Utricularia biloba_
_Utricularia bosminifera_ (only Koh Chang; ENDEMIC!)
_Utricularia caerulea_
_Utricularia corynephora_ (only NW & Burma; SUBENDEMIC!)
_Utricularia delphinioides_
_Utricularia garrettii_ (only Doi Angka (Doi Inthanon); ENDEMIC!)
_Utricularia geoffrayi_
_Utricularia hirta_
_Utricularia involvens_
_Utricularia minutissima_
_Utricularia punctata_
_Utricularia subulata_
etc.
>of Nepenthes I might find, I was told lots of N. tentaculata,
>and even N. villosa. I was surprised about the latter, since
>they're usually found in the cloud forests up Mt. Kinabalu (not
>a day's hike!), but I was told that there are some which are
>easily accessible.
If you visit spots which are sufficiently "highland" for _N.villosa_ you
could also look for _N.edwardsiana_ (which seems to be poorly represented
in cultivation).
Good luck on all your trips (and a healthy return)!
Kind regards
Jan