New member

From: Glyn Constant (glyn@brunet.bn)
Date: Fri Jun 27 1997 - 20:28:20 PDT


Date: Sat, 28 Jun 1997 11:28:20 +0800
From: Glyn Constant <glyn@brunet.bn>
To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com
Message-Id: <aabcdefg2509$foo@default>
Subject: New member

Having received this newsletter for the past month I thought it time I
contributed, particularly as I live in Brunei where Nepenthes grow almost
as profusely as weeds. There are many species here, with Rafflesiana and
Gracilis being the most common, they even grow within a few metres of my
house.
At probably the best area here, and one which I visit regularly, the
following species, variations and hybrids can be seen:

Ampullaria (Green & Cantley's red)
Bicalcarata
Gracilis (Green, red and purple)
Mirabilis (var Echinostoma)
Rafflesiana (var. Alata, Negropurpurea, Nivea, Minor, Elongata and Giant)
Amp/Gracilis (N. Trichocarpa)
Amp/Bicalcarata
Amp/Mirabilis (N. Kuchingensis)
Amp/Rafflesiana (N.Hookeriana)
Bical/Gracilis (N.Cantleyi)
Bical/Mirabilis
Bical/Rafflesiana
Gracilis/Mirabilis (N.Grabilis)
Gracilis/Rafflesiana
Mirabilis/Rafflesiana

Probably the most spectacular of these is the giant Rafflesiana, the
largest plant I have seen had an upper pitcher 41 cm long and a ground
pitcher 37cm long.
On a recent visit I found a most unusual cross between Elongated
Rafflesiana and Mirabilis var Echinostoma - should this really be descibed
as N. Hookerae?
At the moment Gracilis, Raf and Amp are seeding and its a pleasure to drive
along and see the seedheads sticking up out of the undergrowth along the
road side.
So far I have only visited lowland sites but am planning a trip into the
interior highlands where N. Stenophylla, N.Reinwardtiana, N. Hirsuta, N.
Tentacuata and N.Maxima can be found.

I have made several trips into neighbouring Sabah and Sarawak and on a
recent trip to to Kuching I visited a Forestry reserve where a number of
plants were on display. While wandering through their orchid nursary I came
across a handfull of Nepenthes growing in pots, all were numbered and
labelled and unfortunately all were in very poor condition. The poorest of
all was labelled N. Ephippiata, and its only pitcher was bady shrivelled
but it appeared to fit the description of this species given in Anthea
Phillips & Anthony Lamb's book `Pitcher Plants of Borneo'. Unfortunately
there was nobody around to ask details of hwere it had come from. Has anyone
heard of this species growing in Sarawak?

I recently downloaded Chris Creel's Nepenthes Growing Information factsheet
and found it very informative, but his statement ` I have never heard of a
Nepenthes growing like a weed in silica sand' amused me. Here most of the
sites where Albomarginata, Bicalcarata, Gracilis, Mirabilis and Raf grow
are in silica sand and it is the only place that I have seen Albo growing.

Regards
Glyn Constant



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