Date: Thu, 07 Aug 1997 12:44:35 +0900 From: ss66428 <ss66428@hongo.ecc.u-tokyo.ac.jp> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg2990$foo@default> Subject: Brazilian Expedition 10
To all,
Here I am finally finding the time to continue this saga....
After exploring that which I now have engraved in my memory as one of
the top 3 CP sites in Brazil, I headed towards the only site of D.graomogolen-
sis I know in the Itacambira area, located on a hillside a few km away. To get
there, I had to walk along a long valley loaded with CPs on both sides,
surrounding eucalyptus plantations on the low hilltops.
Once again I was stumbling on D.graminifolia, D.montana var.tomentosa,
D.sp."Emas", G.sp."giant violacea", other yellow-flowered Genlisea by the
hundreds, and numerous Utrics. I discovered plenty of G.violacea, the first
time I saw this species in this area and the first time I saw it in the same
region as G.sp."giant violacea", as I mentioned in the previous "chapter".
Another first for Itacambira was U.purpureocaerulea including the first albino
specimens I've ever seen for this species, with the whole corola white except
for the orange-yellow blotch on the lower lip. Yet another surprise was to
find the hybrid U.hispida X praelonga, which I've been stumbling upon quite
frequently in the past few trips. I also saw U.laciniata, U.neottioides,
U.trichophylla, U.hispida, U.nana, U.tricolor, G.aurea, G.pygmaea,
G.filiformis, G.repens, and one thick-scaped G.sp."cipoensis" (also quite a
surprise for this area).
As for Drosera, I found some D.communis, a species which is, as its
name states, often very common, but which is for some reason rather rare
around Itacambira. D.sp."Congonhas" is present as well in this valley, this
being the N-most place I've seen them, although one collection is known from
several hundred km further north in the state of Bahia (although I was not
able to find it there myself). Almost at the D.graomogolensis site, I found
D.hirtella var.hirtella for the first time in the Itacambira area. This is
also the N-most site I know for this species, it also being known from a single
collection from Bahia (which I was also not able to find!).
I had discovered the D.graomogolensis site in 94 and was surprised to
see the plants growing mostly under the shade of tall Lavoisiera sp. (Melasto-
mataceae) bushes. The plants were thus mostly greenish, but had extra long
stems up to around 20cm. Usually my little CP compass in my head doesn't fail
me and I knew where the site was, but I had a little trouble convincing myself
that I was almost there because I couldn't see the Lavoisiera bushes.
When I got there I realized that it was the correct place when I saw
the numerous D.graomogolensis spread around, only the Lavoisiera and grasses
had been burned away by a fire probably in the previous dry season, maybe
between 4 to 7 months before. The result was that the large rosettes were now
closer to the ground (the longer-stemmed ones having probably burned down to
the ground and regrown new shoots from stems and roots) and colored in a
beautiful deep red due to the greater availability of sunlight. What a
magnificent species!!! Remains of its long flower scapes from the previous
season were found, but no seeds.
Time was pressing and although there is still lots to explore in the
fantastically CP-abundant region of Itacambira, I decided to head out the next
day. I still had one stop in mind before heading back home. In a single day
spent CP-hunting at Itacambira I had seen so many CPs that I felt nearly
satisfied. Plus, the troubles I had run into at Itacambira with flat tyres,
the guy who accidentaly ruined one of them while trying to fix it, and the
lack of availability of new tyres, made me wish to go back to a more
'civilized' part of Minas Gerais, or at least a place not so distant from more
important routes and cities.
So I left early the next day for the Serra do Cabral, a place I had
never been to, but which I wanted to explore since it looked like a nice group
of mountains on the map, as well as from the road on the numerous times I had
passed by it by bus on my way to Grao Mogol, Botumirim, and Itacambira. Another
motivation to go there was the herbarium I'd seen of a long-leaved D.villosa-
like species from these mountains.
I intended to stop at a few places along the way on the mountains
around Itacambira to do a little more exploring, but I had already set my mind
to the fact that I had to return and explore the whole Itacambira area with
more calm in the future anyways, and I already had hot feet, anxious to get a
move on and explore unexplored territory.
I arrived at the base of the Serra do Cabral around noon. Several dirt
roads can be seen climbing the steep mountainsides parallel to the asphalt
road. I turned off from the slick and comfortable smoothness of asphalt beneath
my wheels and once again entered the dreaded bumpy dirt roads, trying to focus
my attention on the ground at the same time that I tried to see the surrounding
scenery, searching for any CP sites as well as the correct routes through the
farm gates leading to any of the roads that led up to the top of the Serra do
Cabral.
I finally found myself following one dirt road up the mountains,
surprised that it was in such good shape. But this only lasted a few minutes
and soon I had to stop and get out to study a tricky spot before going though.
A few attempts and skidding of the wheels got me past the first of several
slippery and steep inclines. But eventually I got stuck in one and after a few
useless tries and lots of burned tyre, I accepted that I would have to walk a
few km to the nearest town to get help.
But maybe just one last try...... I had an idea and dug up rocks
and plants from the surroundings and layed them all around the 4 wheels. To my
surprise it worked! I finally relented and began acting a bit more responsibly
admittinf to myself that that road was simply not made for a normal city-style
car like mine and that I would be better off heading back down and searching
for a new route before I got into even deeper s__t.
So back I went to the asphalt and drove a few km further ahead to
another road climbing the S.do Cabral. This one also proved pretty tricky, but
after a whole symphony of bangs, bumps, and scratches to the underside of my
car, I finally reached the top. Well, almost. I was being pretty careless, I
admit, but enough is enough and I came to a point where I just knew I would
never be able to pass and the walk down to the nearest town was VERY long.
So I got out of the car, loaded the gear into my backpack, and headed
out on my feet. I walked for about 2-3h maybe, through rather uninteresting
landscape, with not much that looked like good CP areas. But since the only CP
I knew existed on these highlands for sure was the strange D.villosa-like
species, anything I found would be a profit, except U.subulata of course!!!!
To be continued....... with everything BUT the D.villosa-like species! :(:(
All the Best,
Fernando Rivadavia
Tokyo, Japan
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Tue Jan 02 2001 - 17:31:07 PST