Date: Sun, 1 Nov 1998 15:52:04 +0100 From: j.dewitte@t-online.de (Jean De Witte) To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg3467$foo@default> Subject: nepenthes
Just back from a short visit to S.E. Asia, where I tried to see (or
better, see again) some nepenthes. Main pupose was to find back
the n. reinwardtiana I saw on Gunung Murud in Sarawak 5 years
ago (one of the parents of n. murudensis) and to try to get a bit
more info on the n. spec (also on Murud). I chose the wrong period,
as the rainy season has started a bit earlier, and we also got the
aftermath of the typhoon that hit the Phillipines. Short story: we got
as far as Church Camp on Murud, but couldn't get to the summit
because of te storm. The descend from the ridge (2200 m) to Camp
(1940 m) used to have enough nepenthes for me to spend three
hours taking pictures. Now I passed in 20 minutes: most of the
plants are gone, the ones remaining are at least 5 years old. I
could not see any young plants, and I think the extreme dryness of
the last years is the main cause. What I found whas n. lowii,
mainly eppiphytic, a couple of n. tentaculata, and some n.
murudensis. Ths ridge itself (takes about two hours to cross) is a
high marshland, and luckily wet enough for the nepenthes to
survive. I could not find back the n. reinwardtiana, as high grass
had taken over the location. Majorty of the plants are n. muluensis.
I would like to see this one differentiated as n. muluesis ssp.
murud, as there seem to be sufficient difference in coloration,
growing habit and habitat. Here also we found 30 cm pitchers of n.
murudensis, with tentaculata growing in the immediate vicinity.
Again, n. lowii only high up in the trees. This time we found a larger
number of the n. sp (Phillips & Lamb) or n. sp. B (Clarke). I still feel
there is a lot of n. maxima in that plant. I fail to see any parent with
similar characteristics on Murud: fusca, veitchii and maxima are
absent, stenophylla sits 700 meter lower and is not a real
candidate. The appendages on the lid are definitively maxima-
family traits, so the mistery remains. I found no seed or
inflorescence so those indices are not available.
General comment on G. Murud: the mountain will need a couple of
years to recover from the dry spell.
On the same sequence: Bako park has lost a lot of the n.
rafflesiana, especially the sub-type with the strange lid (reminiscent
of bicalcarata, but without the teeth). The small upper plateau is
almost empty. Again: dryness. Same picture on Sentosa Island,
which despite the ammusement park had a healthy population of n.
rafflesiana, n. gracillis and n. ampullaria. We managed to find only
12 plants of n. rafflesiana, two of them with pitchers. The 2 other
species were invisible.
I also have been told that G. Kelam (Kalimantan) has burned again,
which doesn't sound good for the couple of n. clippeata surviving
there.
All in all, hasn't been a good period for nepenthes. Most locations
need water and rest in order for the populations to recover. The
absence of young plants in the 3-4 spots I went are for me
significant enough to worry.
Take care,
mailto:j.dewitte@t-online.de
http://home.t-online.de/home/j.dewitte
public key :http://www.nic.surfnet.nl/pgp/pks-toplev.html
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