Short trip to habitat

[wijaya]

Hi,

I have made a short trip to the habitat, found only one species here by the feet of Mt. Sibayak (around 1300m asl), but too bad this is the only plant found in the surrounding area, as the area already being open up to grow some crops by the local. Was told this area used to have hundreds of spectabilis scattered around two years ago. Sad but that is the truth, but then again a local who was in that area said he found lots of spectabilis still grow well on the mountain, another hour walk up the mountain, was raining today and we are not prepared to hike, so will plan another trip up the mountain.

This is the mountain:


the surrounding area:


The only spectabilis found by the road side inside bushes:








closer look at the leaf:


some of the pithers:






uppers - quite a big one:








this moss found closed to the area, looks like pygmy dews




insect found - a millipede

[wijaya]

Then about 30 minutes drive to another close by area, a walk up pass this sulfuric stones area (H2S)







whole area smell the H2S gas, this is where the source of hot springs water flow down from inside the mountain, the hot spring gas also being used by government to generate power for electricity.

Hope you guys are not bored, as more N. tobaica is found. The whole area is abundant with tobaica growing even up the trees and vining everywhere, can see lots of blooms and un-ripe seeds (too bad can't collect them)

Found mostly green color pitchers and some red and some extreme form with nice peristome and coloration (probably a hybrid)





























































Some wild plants found:




Hope you all enjoy the picture, a very short trip but a nice one, found only two species this time, hope to find more species in my next habitat visit.

Ed

[rainforest]

Ed,
The tobaica variations were interesting. I am curious if that wide peristome form may be a hybrid. The spectabilis grows so well on a a substrate that looks hard. It grows without effot there and when we grow these in cultivation, they don't grow as easily.

Nice shots of the way things are all over the place. The spectabilis is an eye-catcher and each one is so beautiful! Wish we had more variations in cultivation!

I read that the elevation was about 1300, but at what lowest altitude could N. spectabilis take? I would be interested in they occur even lower elevation for us warm growers. 1300 is really low already and any of these can be grown warm. Getting seeds from lower elevation established plants will help bring some of these species to cultivation lacking cool temperatures.

Michael

[sockhom]

A great report Ed .

I really appreciate all those habitat shots. The pictures showing the swarms of N. tobaica are really amazing! Some plants remind me of N. eustachya.

Love the lonely spectabilis. I'll say it again: what a beautiful species. I hope you will make it to that other spectabilis location.


François.

[unclemasa]

Nice work Ed .....

Those seed pods look kinda big and long for tobaica. Maybe its just the perspective. (?)

[wijaya]

Michael: the wide peristome tobaica I also suspect it as a hybrid, but strangely no other species found around this area, all are only tobaica. The leafs still very tobaica, and only found like two or three plants of this wide peristome variation of the whole area, the plants found still a junior and grown on the ground.

You are right on the soil, soil are hard and dry but the spec still can grow there. That's nature we never can copy, other factors like the temperature, humidity and sunlight there help balancing to overcome the bad soil/ substrate they grown on.

Not sure how low they will adapt, remember my trip where I found the spectabilis, rigidifolia and pectinata, that was even of higher elevation something more than 1500m asl.

Too bad no seeds found, that is the only plant there.

@francois: Thanks, hope I can find time soon to visit the area.

@sam: Thanks and as you mentioned it I just realized, comparing with other seeds pods, this particular one is longer and bigger, no it is not perspective, they are indeed big and long particularly on this spike. A cross pollination? but no other species found on the surrounding area, all only tobaica. I will go back there to get some seeds when they ripen, probably in a few more months.

Ed