Gunung Api & nearby area

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Gunung Api (fire mountain) is not the famous Gunung Api in northern Sarawak. This mountain is not very high, around 1,300 feet. There are a few mountains in this area which are dividing the upper Sarawak river basin (western part) and upper Batang Kayan basin (southern part).

In this trip, a few natural cross hybrid species of pitcher plants and a rare cross hybrid of aquatic plant of the genus Cryptocoryne were found in those areas.



Gunung Api. The forest here are mainly secondary forest & disturbed Kerangas forest.





The hardwoods on the logging road. I really HATE to see this:






Pitcher plant, Nepenthes ampullaria :





Cute little aerial pitcher of Nepenthes ampullaria :

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Nepenthes gracilis :




Nepenthes mirabilis :




Nepenthes X trichocarpa (natural cross hybrid between Nepenthes ampullaria and Nepenthes gracilis) This is upper pitcher:




Nepenthes X trichocarpa

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Nepenthes X trichocarpa





Nepenthes X kuchingensis (Cross hybrid between N. mirabilis and N. ampullaria)







Nepenthes X kuchingensis







Nepenthes x neglecta (Natural cross hybrid between N. gracilis and N. mirabilis)

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Nepenthes x neglecta :





Nepenthes x neglecta :







Next location is a clear water stream of upper Batang Kayan basin. The water ph is very low, PH is about 4.8, very acidic. A big population of natural cross hybrid of aquatic plant, Cryptocoryne X purpurea nothovar borneoensis was found in the stream.






Cryptocoryne X purpurea nothovar borneoensis :

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Cryptocoryne X purpurea nothovar borneoensis in submerged condition. There is no fish in the stream. I think this shallow stream will be dried up during the dry season:




Cryptocoryne X purpurea nothovar borneoensis and an unidentified species of Crypt. :





Close up of unidentified species of Crypt. (submerged):





Another species of aquatic plant, Barclaya motleyi:

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Others plant:

Flower of Dillenia suffruticosa :




Terrestrial orchid, Spathoglottis plicata :





Bamboo orchids, Arudina graminifolia var. graminifolia :





Stick insect, Phasmid :

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More on this link:

http://www.ibanorum.netfirms.com/api.htm

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Latest news:

That Crypt sp. is the same species as the big, green crypt. When that small Crypt grows bigger, it'll be the same as the big one.

And.....it is NOT Crypt x purpurea nothovar borneoensis, but something close !!!!

It is Crypt. x purpurea nothovar .....(no name yet) Scientists are still doing research on this and it is not easy to count the chromosome numbers and the DNA profile.

So...it is new cross hybrid species !!!!