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Daveth

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Everything posted by Daveth

  1. How does one increase the number of photos in this post? I just spent an hour adding text and photos only to be told it exceeds the number allowed!
  2. I am sure there, in reality are, but i guess the issues are that 1) macrophylla as 1 parent is, as far as i know, only found in that small mossy forest, 2) the sides are horribly steep, ruling out both opportunity and ability to survey, and 3) the amount of damage you would cause to the mossy forest to look for it outweighs knowing there are at least 5 plants.
  3. This is a selection of pictures from the recent Redfern expedition to Hose Mountain, in central Borneo, with an additional ascent of Trus Madi, the second highest peak after Kinabalu at 2,642 metres. Aware that Vincent posted many pictures from Trus Madi, I have tried to complement his picture set. I have kept the picture sizes small so as not to dis-advantage viewers with poor internet connections. If anyone wants an original, please ask. Trus Madi This is a distant shot of the Trus Madi ridge, with the double peak to the right, the summit being on the far right. The notch between the two peaks holds a lovely mossy forest. After a lot of recent expenditure, the reserve has a new entrance gateway, accommodation block and boardwalk on the lower mountain reaches Beyond the boardwalk it is a clear trail up, though there are a few roped sections and the odd bit of metalwork to assist. There are some lovely mossy forest sections on the way up already rich in orchids, though few were in flower at the time. After much ascent, and sort of being convinced that Nepenthes were entirely absent, I rounded a bend in the trail and suddenly came upon stands of N.lowii. The habitat is worth showing as it does give a better appreciation of the conditions this species prefers. The "trees" in the mossy forest are short (perhaps 4-6m) and the vines scramble through them in the more open sections. Pretty much everything that is fixed down is moss covered, and the branches can be "wrung out" if you squeeze the moss. Pitchers hang at various heights and the path passes underneath some, whilst others rest on the mossy floor. This species is "famous" for being a loo for shrews, and i am pretty sure this is what fills this pitcher whilst Stewart pointed out a pitcher with an infaunal community of mosquito larvae which call lowii pitchers their "nursery". This is, of course, cloud forest and moving higher and beyond the main lowii stands meant that visibility often dropped off with James here ascending via ropes and ladders up a very cloudy face. From the first photo in this post you will recall the twin peaks, and this photo is taken from the first (with its new shiny observation tower), looking back along the ridges to the telecomms unit just along the ridge. The path passes alongside this. This picture gives some idea of the steepness of the slopes but also, because of altitudinal opportunities, how narrow the high mossy forest areas are. Between the observation tower and summit, from which this photo was taken, is a fine mossy forest in the dip between the higher ground. This is home to the population of Nepenthes macrophylla. Obligatory omg shot, I am afraid! I am allowed one/post! If anything, this macrophylla forest was even mossier than the lowii one Eventually, Team Hose reaches the summit of Trus Madi. Marc, James, Stewart, me and Richard. Of course, where you have 2 species, one can have hybrids, and my descent with our guide (I set off early as i am always much slower descending) resulted in seeing 3 of the 5 known (to our guide) Nepenthes x trusmadiensis plants. Of particular note is the weaker peristome, with relatively poorly formed teeth (and these are much softer to the touch than the sharp macrophylla ones), and the noticeable waist to the pitcher. The last photo was from a plant scrambling through a tree canopy level with the path, so steep is the drop from the ridge. Hose Mountain to be completed another day.
  4. I got one from Stan Lampard years back, lost it, but recovered it recently from propagation stock my mother held. Has it been described, or synonymised, or dumped as anything other than a colour form of something? I can find very little recent information on it. David
  5. so, did Father Christmas come good with a decent greenhouse heater in the end?
  6. How is it fixed to the ground Simon? Mine has long bolts into the concrete base that stop the frame moving, so there is no chance of the flex loosening the house bolts.
  7. http://www.bbsfieldguide.org.uk/sites/default/files/pdfs/otherpdfs/BBS%20Field%20Guide%20Sphagnum%20Key.pdf hours of fun for you here!
  8. Hotboxes or Biogreens have stood me well over the years. Hotboxes have the edge of being repaired in the UK (albeit by 2 different companies) whereas poorly Biogreens might have to return to Germany (?). Be useful to confirm that last point, as my very old Biogreen now trips the house power rcd when i turn it on. I would stay away from those things that look like glorified hair-driers, as I regard them as a false economy. As long as all your plugs, cables, and boxes are water-proofed you should be safe. If you are bringing them in, remember not to keep them too warm!
  9. Yes, Ian, I popped along there this summer on a fearfully wet day when Paul was at a show, but i got a few plants.
  10. Well, after years of browsing this excellent site, I have now formerly registered. I started growing plants in the mid 1970's and well remember getting my folks to drive from West Cornwall to Somerset to visit Adrian Slack's nursery, where i got a S.flava (I still have it or its clones!). This when the A30 was an ordinary road and so unlike the dual carriageway it is (mostly) today. A few winters back, in the Arctic wastes of Herefordshire as it was then, I lost much of my collection, which set me back emotionally, but I am now re-building. Just treated myself to a LED lighting panel to pursuade my Heliamphoras they really are on a tepui, and am waiting for the spring when a hydrofogger is on the cards. 6x8 greenhouse. I also have a weakness for gingers, both Hedychium and Cautelya, and dabble in orchids, having the tail end of my mum's collection (at 80 her nepenthes collection is bigger and better than mine!). So, hallo CP forum people! David
  11. What might be a useful tactic is to see if you can get all your Christmas present money combined from aunts, uncles, parents etc, and go for a fan heater. This not only sees off the frost but gives you that essential blow through that Blocky71 was mentioning. My fan heater has just come back from being repaired and even in that short gap of 2 weeks botytris got has got onto a baby Pinguicula hemiepiphytica. Thankfully back up to full gale now. Does make it easier if you have power hooked into your greenhouse though, or it is close enough to the house to run from there. Do make sure it is all waterproofed though! Fan heaters last for years, and can be repaired, and should see you well into your teenage years. David
  12. does then indicate, perhaps, that the thermostat thinks it is warm enough and so turns the unit off from heating more? Just got my old Elite back from them after a refit and repair. David
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