> Does anyone know if N.edwardsiana ... will be seen as part
> of this tour?
N. edwardsiana is not present on the summit trail of Mt. Kinabalu,
but is located on the other (less accessible) side of the mountain.
My guide told me that I would need 3 days of outdoor camping to
get to the appropriate areas, with no guarantee of finding a
specimen.
There is a mountain garden maintained near Park Headquarters, with
several (transplanted) Nepenthes including N. edwardsiana. The
plant was almost 1 m tall, with classic pitchers about 12 cm tall.
In the herbarium collection, though, I saw a dried pitcher of
N. edwardsiana that was about 32 cm tall!
> ... Will I able to see N.burbidgeae on tour?
Neither is N. burbidgeae present on the summit trail. We found
it by hiking up Mt. Kinabalu from Masilau, and it was a
challenging foray into the brush. We found several large
vines of it that had climbed up sapling trees and then
died for unclear reasons. The growth tip of one plant
was still alive, however, with gorgeous upper pitchers.
> Is it true that some of the 'flower beds'/rockeries contain
> Nepenthes? If so, which species.
I'm not quite sure what you mean here.
> It would also be nice to know what gear I should have
> handy if anyone who has been can tell me.
Please search the CP listserver archives for a 5 part article
I wrote about my trip to Kinabalu Park. (A cleaned-up version
of it with photographs will appear in upcoming CPN issues, but
you can't wait that long). In that article I mention phone
numbers and addresses for making reservations in the Park
accomodations. If you hike the lower half of the summit trail,
you'll see N. tentaculata, N. lowii, N. fusca, N. x kinabalensis,
and N. villosa. You'll also be within easy reach of the Mountain
Garden where you'll see N. rajah and N. edwardsiana and a few
others. You won't need special equipment for this since you'll
be in a fairly well organized part of the Park. Plan for
a good hike.
And, have fun! I'd go back tomorrow if I had the time and money.
Perry