Brazilian CPs in the wild - a fantastic trip (part 2)
Fernando Rivadavia Lopes (ferndriv@usp.br)
Mon, 4 Mar 1996 22:18:32 -0300 (GRNLNDST)
Our next stop on the trip was the Serra do Caparao National Park,
just N of Caragola, the TYPE location for G.lobata. Though this was my
3rd trip to this park, it was the first time I got sunny weather. So we
decided to climb the long trail up to the top of the Bandeira Peak
(2890m), the 3rd highest in Brazil. The view from on top was spectacular,
observing how many other unexplored mountains there were to all sides!
Due to the length of the trail and the time we wasted getting to the
top, we did not have time to go to the G.lobata site I knew from my
previous trips, nor did we find any other sites for it.
I did take Joe and Fabio to some other sites I knew and we found
a few new ones. There is a river next to the initial part of the trail
where you can find U.reniformis, U.tricolor, D.villosa, D.montana, and
G.aurea. The local U.tricolor is a very small form and of dubious
identity. I have seen these plants identified as U.tridentata by the
Brazilian Utric + Genlisea taxonomist Elza Fromm-Trinta in herbaria. The
only G.aurea site I know in the park was covered with flower scapes with
lots of ripe fruit.
The D.villosa endemic to the Caparao is a new subspecies which is
small and compact. After I visited this place last November, I described
to all of you how difficult it was to tell D.villosa ssp."Caparao" apart
from 2 other Drosera which were present: D.montana var.montana and a new
species similar to D.montana which I sometimes call D.montana "dewy
scape" or just D.sp."annual montana". I was finally able to resolve this
mess and noticed that D.montana var.montana is NOT present, but only
D.villosa ssp."Caparao" and D.sp."annual montana". The latter is the only
taxon in the D.montana complex which flowers now during the summer,
instead of during the winter (which is the dry season), since it is the
only taxon in the group which grows as an annual (though not always).
Close to the top of the Bandeira Peak, at around 2800m, is a
small water spring where U.reniformis grows. Since there are no peaks
higher than that one at the park or anywhere else in the U.reniformis
range, this must be the highest U.reniformis site of all. This species is
truly amazing. As I've mentioned before, I've found it growing all the
way from this site down to sea level, from acid to alcaline soils, from
shade to full sunlight, from dry to boggy habitats, and it is even said
to grow inside bromeliads like U.nelumbifolia. So don't anybody ask me
what's the best way to cultivate this species!!!
On the way down, Joe found a site around 2500m with lots of
D.villosa ssp."Caparao", G.aurea, U.reniformis (in bloom!), and
U.nephrophylla with lilac (maybe light-purple) flowers! The leaves were
(strangely) heart-shaped, instead of reniform to circular, as mentioned
in Taylor's book.
Our goodbyes and thanks said to Lucio the next day, we headed
west for Caraca (the last "c" has the small "leg" below, so the
pronunciation = Kah-rah-ssah). Caraca was the first place I saw wild CPs
in Brazil in May '90 and I've returned there on several occasions. Still,
it's incredible how I always find something new there. We arrived there
around 3pm and went for a short walk at a bog
U.hispida was flowerign at this bog and among these we found
scapes bearing larger, bright-yellow flowers which we believe may be
hybrids with U.praelonga, a very close relative of U.hispida. Though
I've never seen U.praelonga at that bog, I have seen it at other bogs at
Caraca. The only case I can remember of natural Utric hybridization is
mentioned in Taylor's book for 2 aussie species, though he seemed in
doubt about this and I remember later reading in one of Allen Lowrie's
catalogues that he had seeds of these plants and that it was a new
species.
While in Europe, I saw the artificial cross U.humboldtii X
U.alpina, which is rather strange since these 2 are taxonomically placed
in separate sections. I won't mention who made the cross, since he may
not like it to be know yet. The plants were about to flower for the 1st
time and will hopefully be very beautiful.
Anyways, what led us to believe we'd found a natural Utric hybrid
is that not only were the flowers intermediate between U.hispida and
U.praelonga, but there were absolutely no fruit on the scapes, while the
nearby U.hispida were loaded with fruit.
In this same bog I'd found white-flowered D.communis in the past,
which was strange since at all other sites at Caraca they were lilac. Yet
when brought into cultivation, the white-flowered plants produced lilac
flowers, showing that flower color depended on ecologic factors. This time
I observed both lilac and white-flowered plants at this bog.
The next day we climbed the Carapuca (= Kah-rah-poo-ssah) Peak
(1955m), the 3rd highest in the park and TYPE location for U.reniformis
and D.graminifolia. Both were in flower as expected. I wanted to study
the latter a little better to compare with the ones which grow further N
at Diamantina and which Saint Hilaire originally described as D.spiralis.
I was able to reinforce my opinion that they are obviously very
different, at least separate subspecies for sure. Also on top of this
mountain we found U.amethystina, a unique form of G.violacea endemic to
Caraca, and a new species of Utricularia native to Caraca, most closely
related to U.parthenopipes, which occurs around 800km further N in the
state of Bahia.
The next day Joe and I explored a few nearby places and saw
D.montana var.montana, U.pubescens, U.neottioides, and lots of U.triloba
plus U.subulata growing in the same area. The latter 2 are extremely
similar and very difficult to tell apart, so it was interesting to
photograph both together. Unfortunately Fabio had to leave the night
before. We were sad that he wouldn't be following us to the Serra do
Cipo National Park, a CP paradise he hasn't had the chance to visit yet.
Though we had no idea ourselves how fantastic this trip to the Serra do
Cipo would be!!
To be continued.......