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N rowanae in thailand?

  • #21
Hi,
I imported several cuttings of the plants from Thailand. A few have been in bloom this last summer. I thought that the plant
called "viking" might be a mirabilis cross with xhookeriana. I brought back several plants from Thailand that were xhookeriana.
Alot of the seed of N. smilesii and kampotiana/anamensis sprouted and I hope to release some next summer. The seed looked immature but has sprouted for the last four years. I did find two distinct types of Nepenthes from the highlands. One I have had for years sold as a true N. kampotina from Orgel's I saw on Phu Kadung. A small trap type plant, gracilis looking. The other was much larger with different leaves and traps. When I transplant them next spring I'l look for the tuberous roots.
Truly,
Tom
 
  • #22
Hi Schloaty:

I think the viking-rowanae evolution terminology gets messy. because if we look for function, both have pitchers with similar if not identical function. it is more of a divergent-convergent evolution. Maybe this is the first case study of a new type of evolution!.

One thing i have learned so far, labelling things can get messy, because they are not black or white as we want them to be all the time!>

It is convergent because they evolve similarly, but convergent evolution evolving beings never have same ancestors while divergent does!.

The argument against divergent is that the new structures or beings will both have different functions, while in this case they are still pitchers and they still catch insects. it is more of a semi-convergent evolution!>

This is fantastic yet, very confusing
 
  • #23
Hi Everybody,

the species status of N. smilesii is not official yet. t's just like Martin Cheek told me that and I agree with him. But not many people are knocking at the ICPS doors shouting "please, tell us wheter or not N. smilesii is a species or a mirabilis variety!!"
smile.gif

Cheek is in fact the only person who was able to look at the type specimen of N. smilesii and realized how it's the same plant we find on Phu Kradung (anamensis/kampotiana) and not just a mirabilis, as it was wrongly thought by Danser looking at just one specimen a lot of years ago...

As I said before not many people are interested in these particular species, so we'll have to wait a bit before opinions among a couple of tassonomists and a few growers become official things. But how things must have gone with N. smilesii is well explained on my website.

About the differences between rowanae and viking, actually it's a problem for my slow computer to move and upload pics, but as soon as I'll renew my site, these things will be added (actually the only good pics of rowanae come from Exotica Plants, I don't have any). I'm also waiting to know wheter or not I can pubblish on nepenthesofthailand all I know about the possible future description of N. viking by a well known nepenthofile. Together with that I'll put the peculiar characteristics of this new species, to distinguish it from rowanae without just trusting a few photos.

A good change for the future would be to have a good picture of the dry type specimen of N. thorelii, to know exactly what we're looking for!!! Up to now the only plant (maybe two) that looks different and could really be it, is...well, check Nepenthes of Indochina, there's a list of all the photos of anamensis and thorelii we find on the web, and on the left I wrote what I think they really are...:)
It gives you an idea about the general confusion there's among growers!!!

cheers,
Marcello
 
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  • #24
Hi All,
I'm Nong,Thailand >> the one who asked for your contribution about "Viking" , an unidentified Nepenthes in Thailand
I've just run across this forum and found that all your ideas are very informative esp. Trent "It would be interesting to see a more detailed account of where the Nepenthes 'Viking' grow-what the habitats are like." and Gus "It'd be great to put pictures side by side of leaves and pitchers to make an appropriate comparison".
Great inspiration.
So ,I'm going to add more pics. and more information about Viking as I have learnt by long experience. These include pics. of upper pitchers , leaves , flowers and an extrodinary Viking that look like -Jess the lowlander fiend's posted pic. of N.rowanae . And I would like to ask all for permission to put your valuable opinion in http://www.neofarmthailand.com/index.p....Ntype=6
for further discussion and contribution.:)

===Nong===
 
  • #25
Marcello,

I have just added a couple of new pics to my rowanae page, that Rod Kruger took on one of his trips - I have more rowanae pics from Rod, but I didn't want to clutter my page with too many pics. Rod has heaps and heaps of rowanae photos, so it might be an idea to contact him directly to see what he can send you. About a quarter of his lowland greenhouse is full of different rowanae variants, and I've been pestering him about taking pics, but he has been extremely busy and hasn't gotten around to it yet. Anyway, drop him a line, and he'll probably be able to send you what he has - you might need to wait a couple of weeks for a reply as he has guests all November.

Hamish
 
  • #26
Hi Nong and welcome to the forums. I think it's a great idea for Marcello to get pictures of rowanae and compare them with your vikings!.

Hopefully we will all learn something new

gus
 
  • #27
Has anyone ordered plants from this company?
 
  • #28
Hi Gus ,
More pics. of Viking and new hybrid of N. thorelii x Sarracenia purpurea . Let's look and you might like it (Haaa). I call it Neothorel , but my friend give a very lovely nickname " Opossum ". Visit http://www.neofarmthailand.com/index.p....Ntype=6 if you would like to see "Opossum"
 
  • #29
Hi Nong:

those pictures are spectacular. I think it'd be great to put all types of vikings in one page and when the time comes, we can match up all the Vikings with all the types of Rowanae from Cape York. i think it'll be a very interesting but fun game to play.

Gus
 
  • #30
Nong,

Tell us more about your Neothorel or Opossum. It looks interesting. On your Web page you say
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]For the truth , it's true species.
 
  • #31
Nong,

It also hints you sell plants. Do you have all the proper paperwork to do that on your end to go Overseas? If so, I bet there are quite a few of us over here that would love to get some.

Cheers,

Joe
 
  • #32
Hi BobZ,
It's believable that this Neothorel is mutated from N. thorelii . One villager in the north of Thailand who I knew quite well picked it up from the ground when it's about 3 inches high. It grew wild under the bushes of many large thorelii and there are only thorelii , big and small in this area. He saw its strange tiny pitcher and knew that it should be valuable , so he planted in pot and showed it to me when I visited him. I explored the area and believed it shouldn't be hybrid. It's my most favorite and I named it Neothorel for luckiness to my NeoExoticPlants Nursery in respect to Local Thai believe. Keep in the best place. Never cut . Perhaps it's the only one thorelii (or Nep. spp and hybrids) with this unique shape . I think it look like a walking duck , but my companions said like penguin , after short arguement , we call it "Opossum".Don't know why
smile.gif
 
  • #33
Hi The Griffin ,
Yes, my humble nursery sells CP of Thailand in-country. We just serve international order with online payment. But for Viking , we have very limited plants and half of the best Vikings in our stock are going to send to our distributor in Australia next week. Please find out for details in my web.
Thanks.
Nong
 
  • #34
Nong, thank you for the information. I hope you can successfully propagate your N. "Neothorel" and bring good luck to your nursery.
 
  • #35
Very interesting indeed. Great pictures as well. .. Must build a bigger lowland area!

While the N. viking pitchers look superficially like N. rowanae, the plants look less similar. I wouldn't be surprised to find that they are coming from an old hybrid between N. mirabilis and rafflesiana that has now moved into becoming it's own species.

Tony
 
  • #36
Tony may be right on that. You can see a scenario where the cross is made by nature, the seed spread, and then someone comes along and collects the mature plants in the area, not noticing the little seedlings.

Cheers,

Joe
 
  • #37
I've actually seen a number of clones of raff x mirabilis, (excluding the three different clones we have) and none of them approach the radical shape of Viking. Personally, I go with the "mirabilis subspecies" idea: something similar to the divergence occurring in the Cape York area. I could also see it as a sort of subspecies or related species to the anamensis-thorelii group. It will be interesting to see what the taxonomists say....

Trent
 
  • #38
Then perhaps N. raff x something like those red Tiger N. thorelii..  Doesn't at all look like something derived solely from N. mirabilis to me.  The plants have a distinct (to me) N. rafflesiana look to the way they grow.

Must also keep in mind that you can't necessarily judge by a primary hybrid in a collection.  IF it these vikings are derived from a hybrid population that is going through speciation then there would be f2 populations etc which would bring out a wide range of characteristics  among the population when you have the f1 plants breeding between themselves and perhaps back to either or both parent.  Perhaps what we see today are the result of those that resembled one parent more (the squat big wings) winning the competition over the individuals that had different prominent traits.

Genetic analysis would certainly be really helpful here!
Tony
 
  • #39
Definitely have a raff look...There is some advantage to "the design" -round, squat shape with big wings, that appears to give rafflesiana and Viking an advantage in their respective eco niches. The same shape also seems to have worked advantageously in the Cape York swamps(N. rowanae). I've always liked Charles Clarkes idea of prey specialisation causing different pitcher shapes.
I could go with the tiger thorelii x raff speculation...they all seem possible!

Trent
 
  • #40
Hay nong, any way to read your website? I dont speak thai. I think it looks more like mirabilis x bicalcarata, if they are in the same area that is. But it looks a lot like that hybrid.
 
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