A Story from the Orchid Show 2013

[leilani]

While I was working a sales booth at the Hilo Orchid Show I meet an older gentleman in a wheelchair who had taken an interest in the plants. He related to me that he and his wife had once seen very large pitcher plants on Mt. Kinabalu. From his description of the pitchers, in particular the size, I determined that he was, of course, speaking of N. rajah.

He then when on to tell me that he and his wife, it seems they had done a lot of hiking at one time, had also seen Nepenthes in Australia. Feeling a bit weary of all the days amateur questions and a bit of a know-it-all I assumed he must be speaking of N. mirabilis or some variety thereof. "In the far northeastern part of Australia?" I asked. "No" he said, "in the Southwestern part of Australia, near Perth." Again, after having answered the question "do the lids snap shut?" too many times, I assumed that this old guy was confusing Nepenthes with some other plant. I told him that, to the best of my knowledge there are no Nepenthes in Southern Australia, that I follow these matters closely and that he was perhaps mistaken. "No" he said. He told me that he and his wife had done some exploring around Perth, with a local guide, to an area populated with Nepenthes and that his wife probably still has the pictures somewhere. I was feeling a little frustrated but now also a little intrigued and I asked him if this had been in some forest reserve or park and he said "No", that the population density was very low in that area and that the local guide might have been the only one who knew where to find these plants.

At about this time we were joined by his wife. "Honey" he said, "Remember that trip we made with ****** , where we saw the Nepenthes." I forget her exact words but she confirmed the guide's name (which I missed), his memory of the trip and location and that she probably still has the pictures she took. I, once again, reiterated that there are no records of Nepenthes in Southern Australia and that, if there were it would turn many of the existing conjectures about the evolutionary history of the plant family upside down. 

In the back of my mind I was still assuming that these folks must have been mistaken. That what they were referring to must have been some other plant. On the other hand, he did seem credible, he did know what Nepenthes look like, he had seen at least N. rajah on previous adventures and his wife did confirm everything he had said. I wanted to ask her to go home, sort through all her pictures (film) and then contract me. Unfortunately, business was calling and they needed to be on their way. I gave his wife my email and caught where they were from but somehow let them get away without getting their names.

[brett0]

Surely it was Cephalotus . Or was the story tongue in cheek and I`m not getting it

[whimgrinder]

Years ago an acquaintance came to me with a story about a valued Heirloom rose that had been in his mothers family for well over 120 years, having been brought by her ancestors from Europe when they emigrated to America. His mother was in her late eighties at the time and her health was failing, and he wanted to make sure this unique and ancient rose was preserved and placed in the care of one who would know its value and give it safe haven. He chose me for the task.

Much to my great dismay, the rose was delivered to me and was instantly recognized as an American rambler bred by Jackson and Perkins in 1901; the infamous 'Dorothy Perkins', a rose often found growing in rural locations, tumbling over long abandoned farm buildings and scrambling into neglected Apple trees. While it is now true that 'Dorothy Perkins' almost qualifies as an "heirloom" rose, it was clearly not the European rose this family held dearly as a rare antiquity.

Memories are fallible and subject to frequent revisions as the decades pass.

[christianjames]

but you never know... next time, show me the pictures! :-)

[leilani]

A little research on Cephalotus shows that there are populations of this plant in Southwestern Australia.

[brett0]

Aug 5, 2013 15:29:53 GMT -10 leilani said:

A little research on Cephalotus shows that there are populations of this plant in Southwestern Australia.

Yes there are native to Albany or Esperance i think a bit further south than Perth but someone , maybe the "guide" may have set up a colony a bit closer to Perth .

[dvg]

I would tend to believe what the couple were saying.

N. tenax and [/I]N. rowanae[/I] are endemic to Australia, but they are listed as growing in the northern part of the country there.

But that doesn't exclude a small pocket of Nepenthes from being either relocated or existing in the south part of the country.

Leilani, you may have a lead that warrants a bit of follow-up.

One may have escaped the hook this time, but the knowledge is out there now...




dvg

[leilani]

I don't know David. Once I found out that cephalotus are found near Perth ("near" ... like "San Diego is near LA") I tend to think that these were eco-tourists who probably saw a million new and different plants in their adventures. Both are "pitcher plants" and I can easily imagine the confusion.

I wish it were true. A new species that far south of the Wallace line (and other "lines") would leave theorists scrambling for an explanation.

[dvg]

I'm never too in awe of the 'experts' and their penchant for clinging to old and outdated ideas.

And not to be dismissive of the older couple recounting the story, for they were able to fairly accurately describle N. rajah aka the tree shrew's preferred venue to relieve themselves of their daily burden.

Was the gentleman or his wife able to describe the pitchers that they saw in S. Australia?

Did they mention the size of the pitchers spotted there - size alone could eliminate Cephalotus.

And because the lady does have your email, maybe you'll yet receive some photos to clear up this murky mystery.

But if the photos do reveal this Australian mystery plant to be Nepenthes, that news might unleash an onslaught of collectors seeking to beat both the bushes and each other to be the first to possess this very plant...






dvg

[leilani]

There were a few other experiences that were fun .....

A good friend and orchid grower Leonard was my "Sales Hero" when he sold at least one of these "Leafless Orchids" ..... $35.00





Obviously, I still have a way with children! "The nice man whats to take your picture with his plant."

[jdallas]

Reading a story like this just assures me that this happens to other growers too. Since I sell plants every weekend at a local market I get at least two stories every weekend of someone who saw some carnivorous plant in a place it has never been seen before. I've gotten reports of Venus Flytraps in the Cascade range in the Pacific Northwest, Darlingtonia growing in Skunk Cabbage swamps in local forests in totally inappropriate habitats, and frequent reports of Trumpet Pitcher Sarracenia growing in places like Maine and Michigan. Often I'm able to pick up and show them the plant they actually may have seen, such as Drosera rotundifolia in the Cascades, or Sarracenia purpurea in Michigan, and some folks will go, "Yeah, that was it." I've had plenty, however, that will stick to their guns and swear they saw that Venus flytrap at 5,000 feet elevation in a place that gets 10 feet of snow in the winter. Finally I just have to say, "Congratulations. You may have made the discovery of the century. If you can get a photo, you'll have made history". Memory can be a fickle thing.

Jeff

[leilani]

Hi Jeff!

Hawaii is calling!

[dvg]

Checking the Perth climate revealed the weather to be hot and dry in the summer and wet and mild during the winter, with temps between 8 and 18 Celcius.

www.worldweatheronline.com/Perth-weather-averages/Western-Australia/AU.aspx

The hot and dry summers could pose problems for a Nepenthes colony, unless it had a steady water source, such as having a natural spring nearby.

With those favorable temperatures, the area around Perth could support HL/intermediate species or hybrids, but before we start scouring the underbushes for that lost colony, i'd wait for the pics to show up in Leilani's inbox.




dvg

[jdallas]

Hi Sam,

Yes, Hawaii is calling.

So, I was at Portland Saturday Market vending yesterday for the nursery, and had the subject of this thread happen. I had a gentleman and his wife tell me about hiking trip in the Cascades in British Columbia where they ran into/across a bog or fen. I've been in several of these in Oregon and Washington, so I know exactly what the environment is like they're describing. Almost on Que the began to tell me about the "Venus Flytraps" the were walking over in the fen. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt what they saw would be something like this: This is Gold Lake bog in Oregon. The plant is Drosera anglica, and D. rotundifolia is found out there too. I showed the gentleman and his wife a Drosera rotundifolia I had at the market, but he swore up and down he saw Venus Flytraps pointing to them as to what he saw. There are no Venus Flytraps in the Canadian Cascade mountains.

I've found that much of this is that to people who've only had casual contact with carnivorous plants, everything is called a Venus Flytrap. In Sam's case since he only had Nepenthes, the Nepenthes were the "Venus Flytrap" that the couple saw in Southwest Australia. I think it would be fantastic if Nepenthes were really there, but I've just seen people do this innocent mistaken ID too often to give it any credit.

In addition to the summers being too warm and dry there for most Nepenthes, they do get a frost once in awhile. Take a look at the record lows on this page: www.weatherzone.com.au/climate/station.jsp?lt=site&lc=9225 Very few Nepenthes can take a frost or even temperatures in the upper 30's for any length of time. I've learned this the hard way over the years.

Jeff

[dvg]

With the photos of the South Aussie neps not showing up yet, it seems less and less likely that these plants exist or even existed in the first place.

But to have a bit of fun with this topic, what if it is assumed that this small stand of Nepenthes does indeed exist.

Now for the jaded, weary, cynical and skeptical among you, perhaps these plants were "salted" in a place that only the local tour guide would know about and each year before the cold weather hits, these plants are dug up still inside their containers and moved into a heated greenhouse, until the start of tourism season, after the winter.

More interesting though, is where would these be found if they actually were growing in ground year round.

Because S. Australia around Perth is so hot and dry in summer, a reliable water source would be necessary...

...perhaps a natural spring.

But what about the cold snaps that occur around Perth - how would a Nepenthes survive that.

Well, if these plants were also growing around thermal vents, that might explain how these plants might survive surrounding freezing temps.

Not sure if there are any natural springs with accompanying thermal vents near Perth, but that would be one way of narrowing down where this small grove of S. Aussie Neps might be hiding out.



dvg