Date: Sat, 16 Aug 1997 03:18:26 +0900 From: ss66428 <ss66428@hongo.ecc.u-tokyo.ac.jp> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg3126$foo@default> Subject: Brazilian Expedition 14
To all,
So there I was, at around 7:30 in the morning, standing on a slippery
hillside in the city of Brasilia under an irritating drizzle, not quite the
scenery I expected for the discovery of a new species. What I found were
reddish-green rosettes with the spoon-shaped leaves flat on the ground and
erect scapes covered with long white hairs. It was obviously something in the
D.hirtella complex, maybe a variety and not a true new species, but still new.
Actually, I had seen this plant in 95 at the Chapada dos Veadeiros Nat.
Park, but had mistaken it for a hybrid between D.hirtella var.hirtella and
D.colombiana, since it is somewhat intermediate and because it was growing in
a habitat located between the habitats where I had found D.colombiana and
D.hirtella.
So when I spotted this plant again on the hillside in Brasilia, I
immediately began searching for what I believed to be the parent species.
Although I know both species are present in the Federal District, I could
find no sign of them in the area. It was thus quite clear that it was not a
hybrid, but a taxon of its own! Considering that I had believed it to be a
hybrid in 95 and since a new species is only truly discovered the moment
someone realises it is new (many people will trample over a new species before
someone stops to take a better look), I guess I could say I discovered it
inside the city of Brasilia. How about Drosera metropolis?!?! :):):)
Anyways, things weren't so simple on that hillside since this new
taxon (which I'm calling D.sp."white hirtella" for the moment) was growing
together with D.montana var.montana. It was confusing first of all because I
had never found, and never expected to find, D.m.montana so far west. Second,
flowerless specimens were very similar to D.sp."white hirtella" at that site
and I suspect there may even have been a few hybrids. D.m.montana is different
in having scapes with glandular hairs only and the leaves are tongue-shaped,
sometimes spoon-shaped.
Anyways, I got back into the car, drove another 500m, stopped at a
similar hillside and found plenty of D.sp."white hirtella" in flower, growing
in the same pebbly, brick-red soil, among sparse grasses as the other plants I
had found. I then continued west and only stopped again a few dozen km ahead
when I noticed that the previously hilly countryside was changing to a flat
savanna, where CPs are usually rare. So I turned back and explored 2 or 3
interesting places I had seen along the road.
Only one of these turned up CPs, growing in and around a seepage among
grasses. I had spotted several tall buriti palm trees, a sure sign of a
natural spring or flooded grasslands. Sure enough I found D.communis, G.repens,
and U.nana, all typical CPs in this kind of habitat.
Then around the seepage, on drier soil and among shorter, sparser
grasses, I found a beautiful form of D.hirtella var.hirtella. It had very wide
spatulate leaves which were a bright light-green, although the plants were
under full sunlight. The strikingly ascending scapes were also very robust,
colored deeply red, as were the crisp hairs which cover the lower 2/3 of the
scapes of this species. A true beauty!
I then headed northwest, hoping to explore some high mountains
indicated on my road map. I drove around this area for only a brief time.
Although it looked promising, I would have to leave it for a future trip
since the good CP habitats were a long distance from the road up on the
escarpments and I simply had no time. Maybe on my way back home to Sao
Paulo....
So I turned around again and headed northeast past the town of Formosa
to the Itiquira Falls, the highest in Goias with a drop of 150m if I remember
well. It was really nice, but no CPs. :(:(:(
Driving onwards to the north, I stopped to explore a few interesting
spots along the road, but again no CPs. Only when I was already almost at the
Chapada dos Veadeiros did I find CPs. It was past sunset though, so I couldn't
really see much. Luckily, there didn't seem to be much to see, only
G.filiformis. I know, some of you are now screaming "ONLY G.filiformis, he
says?! I would kill for this plant", but it is fairly common in Brazil and I
hardly stop to remember some people consider it a rarity everytime I'm
trampling over carpets of them - eat your hearts out!!! :):):) .
At the Chapada dos Veadeiros there are two choices of where to stay.
There is the small village of Sao Jorge, which until 2 or 3 years ago did not
have a single telephone (now there is one for the whole town). And believe it
or not, electricity only arrived at Sao Jorge around a year after the phone!
To arrive here, it is necessary to drive 35km along a bumpy-muddy dirt road.
It is located at the entrance to the Chap.dos Veadeiros Nat.Park and a short
walk will take you to the best views, waterfalls, etc. in the whole region. At
Sao Jorge I had a nice place to stay as well as great food, thanks to a few
friends I made among the local guides on my previous 2 trips.
The second choice I had was to stay at the larger town of Alto Paraiso,
comfortably located right next to the asphalt road and also closer to the
northern part of the park, which is where I intended to spend all my time on
this trip, since that is where the best CP areas are found. It's true this area
is theoretically 'off-limits', but nothing that a little climbing under barbed
wire doesn't solve.
The only problem with Alto Paraiso is a really weird place, a magnet
for all crazy cults adrift in the world. There are multicolored igloo-like
temples spread around the town, there are small signs in front of many houses
indicating what 'cult' is followed inside, shops selling quartz crystals,
incense, and books with colorful covers showing people rising to the skies
dressed in white, all bars, hotels, and restaurants have names like
'Shangri-la', and also lots of people dressed as if it they were at some major
manifestation in front of the Whitehouse in the 60's/70's.
Quite a ride for sure and interesting for a few hours, but it's sort
of creepy too. To make things worse, it has become very touristy lately and
prices are much higher than at Sao Jorge. My choice was thus Sao Jorge, where
I would feel more comfortable and among friends, although I would have to
waste an extra 2h a day going and then returning along the 35km of dirt road.
The next day I was up before the roosters and had to have breakfast at
Alto Paraiso because there were no places open in Sao Jorge by the time I was
ready to leave. I was eager to get into the field, although the weather was
pretty fould with occasional drizzles or even heavy showers. The Chap.dos
Veadeiros is probably the richest CP area I know in Brazil, with over 30
species. The only thing it lacks are the fancy, big, exotic species like
D.graminifolia, D.graomogolensis, D.chrysolepis, G.uncinata, U.reniformis,
U.longifolia, etc. All the local CPs are relatively small, with one exception:
G.aurea. The local form of G.aurea has the largest flowers I have ever seen
and it is also not shy-flowering like at many other places, producing whole
fields covered with large golden-yellow flowers. A good candidate for one of
the 7 CP-wonders in Brazil.
This was my first time by car at this park. On the other occasions I
had to hitchhike along the road from Alto Paraiso to the norther part of the
park, or else walk 20-30km uphill (starting at 1200m and ending at 1500m).
Thus before stopping anywhere, I drove for about 50km, just to see where the
road led. After being satisfied that the best CP habitats were left behind, I
turned around and began stopping. Didn't find anything.
Finally I stopped near a site I knew, where I had found giant aquatic
D.hirtella var.hirtella on my previous trip. I wasn't sure it was the correct
place, but put on all my gear anyways and trudged onwards through the flooded
fields. Immediately I found several CPs in flower: G.aurea, normal D.hirtella
var.hirtella, U.amethystina, U.laciniata, and an aquatic Utric with beautiful
purple flowers and almost white stolons growing in a thin layer of water among
grasses. It is very similar to U.cucullata, but the traps are different,
closer to those of U.purpurea. Maybe a new species.....
I then had to cross a narrow stream, but because of the rains the
water level was too high and it took me a long time to find a shallower place
where I could cross safely. I had to hang onto some tree branches and step
over a narrow but deep stretch where the current was very strong, but I
finally made it with all my equipment still dry.
On the opposite side was a smal ridge at the base of the grassy
hillside seepage. I wasn't sure if that was the correct spot, but soon found
huge D.hirtella var.hirtella growing in soil covered by a thin layer of water.
The leaves were, as a result, sometimes semi-erect. Looking through these
beauties, and clicking my finger away on my camera, I suddenly realised that
one of the specimens with the semi-erect leaves had a smooth flower scape. HEY!
The scapes of D.h.hirtella always have long red hairs! What is this?! And then
those famous words escaped my lips once again.....(I couldn't help it, it was
a highly emotive moment, you have to understand!!)...........Ai meu Deus!!!
To be continued.................. And my next phrase was "I wonder if
D.roraimae grows this far south?!?!?!"
Fernando Rivadavia
Tokyo, Japan
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