'Wuhuuu!' exclaimed Alfindra Primaldhi breaking the silence of the forest at the foot of the Kerinci Mountain, 2.100 m above sea level. Along with M Apriza Suska and Stewart McPherson, he expressed his gratification by dancing when he saw Nephentes aristolochioides in Kerinci Seblat National Park, Sumatera. The same joy was also experienced by Adrian Yusuf Wartono in Juli 2007 at a different location in the biggest national park in Sumatera.
It is obvious if they had so much joy when they found aristolochioides. It is one of the nepentheses which has the most unique appearance-resembling a cobra head-and is very rare out in nature. To reach the ketakung-term for nepenthes in Kalimantan-site which was first found by Prof Willem Meijer in 1956-a Rafflesia expert in German-is not an easy thing to do.
On the first day, Alfin, Apriza, and Stewart's guts were shriveled up when they found the foot-steps along with the feces of the Sumatera striped tiger. 'The tiger has just passed for about 12 hours ago,' said Alfin repeating the guide's explanation. Obviously, the site is the habitat for Panthera tigris sumatrensis. Another obstacle is leech. For several times the group had to stop for a while to remove the clinking leech on legs. 'I have had expeditions to Papua and other parts of Sumatera, but this is the only place (Kerinci Seblat National Park) where the most leeches exist,' said Alfin.Rare
After the 2 days and 1 night journey, finally the aristolochioides figure appeared. It grows at a distance of about 10 m from the lake, on more than 2.000 m above sea level. 'There are found around 7 full-grown plants within the radius of 50 m,' said Suska, an ornamental plant practitioner in Bogor. The amount is fewer compared to the time the guide saw them in January 2007. At that time tens aristolochioides were still seen.
Adrian, a hobbyist in Kudus, Central Java, found 4-5 aristolochioides on the elevation of 1.900-2.200 m above sea level. There, it grows along with N. singalana, N. pectinata, and N. spathulata. The decreasing population of aristolochioides out in nature is also agreed upon by Stewart. 'In fact, in one site, there was only 1 plant left,' said the hobbyist from England. Whereas according to Alfin, Charles Clarke, the writer of Nepenthes of Borneo, still saw tens of aristolochioides in that location in 1993.
The decreasing number of aristolochioides population out in nature is due to the plundering which were done by foreign and local tourists. Not surprisingly, if now it is included as a plant which was in critical condition. This Nepenthaceae family member is in the red list of rare species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) 2006.Seen in Sri Lanka
Aristolochioides is worth to be a target. The pitcher shape of the nepenthes which grows creepingly upward is distinct and unique. The pitcher length is 8-10 cm. Aristolochioides pitchers on climbing stalk usually has purple spots on ivory white colour. Whereas the lower lip edge and surface is dark red. The leaves shape of that species, native to sumatera, resembles N. bongso, in which the tip of the leaves is forming a shield.
In the mechanism of trapping the prey, the upper pitcher of N. aristolochioides resembles Darlingtonia californica or Sarracenia psittacina. The front mouth is darkened by the lid and the dark red lip. Such thing makes small insects attracted by the light which glow through the pitcher part which functioned like an ivory yellow window. The insects then enter from the dark mouth into the inner part of the shining pitcher. Once they come into the pitcher, they cannot find their way back because the entrance is dark. Eventually it is exhausted and falls into the liquid on the bottom of the pitcher.
At present the endemic Sumatera nepenthes has been cultivated a lot in nurseries. For example at Borneo Exotics in Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka. Trubus saw around 3-5 pots of aristolochioides in sphagnum moss medium in the greenhouse of the nursery 1.500 m above sea level. Far away in Australia, Exotica Plants and Captive Exotics Nursery also propagates the entuyut.
The last two nurseries are located in midland, around 600 m above sea level. However, they have a greenhouse in which the temperature is designed accustomed to the nepenthes habitat in upland. The hybirds such as N. truncata x N. aristolochioides, N. spectabilis x N. aristolochioides and N. bellii x (N. thorelli x N. aristolochioides) are far easier to be treated.
Suska's nursery which is located on the height around 400 m above sea level raised 2 pots of hybird: N. thorelli x N. aristolochioides and N. bellii x (N. thorelli x N. aristolochioides). The treatment of those two hybirds are same as other nepentheses. They are hung on a 160 cm high bamboo, under the shelter of UV plastic and 65% shading net. The result is both nepentheses grew rapidly and perform interestingly with its purplish spot red pitcher.
There aristolochioides hybrids produce pitchers every month. The difference is, when seeing the new pitchers Suska was not dancing just as Alfin dan Stewart did on the mountain where sumatera tigers swarm about.
It is obvious if they had so much joy when they found aristolochioides. It is one of the nepentheses which has the most unique appearance-resembling a cobra head-and is very rare out in nature. To reach the ketakung-term for nepenthes in Kalimantan-site which was first found by Prof Willem Meijer in 1956-a Rafflesia expert in German-is not an easy thing to do.
On the first day, Alfin, Apriza, and Stewart's guts were shriveled up when they found the foot-steps along with the feces of the Sumatera striped tiger. 'The tiger has just passed for about 12 hours ago,' said Alfin repeating the guide's explanation. Obviously, the site is the habitat for Panthera tigris sumatrensis. Another obstacle is leech. For several times the group had to stop for a while to remove the clinking leech on legs. 'I have had expeditions to Papua and other parts of Sumatera, but this is the only place (Kerinci Seblat National Park) where the most leeches exist,' said Alfin.Rare
After the 2 days and 1 night journey, finally the aristolochioides figure appeared. It grows at a distance of about 10 m from the lake, on more than 2.000 m above sea level. 'There are found around 7 full-grown plants within the radius of 50 m,' said Suska, an ornamental plant practitioner in Bogor. The amount is fewer compared to the time the guide saw them in January 2007. At that time tens aristolochioides were still seen.
Adrian, a hobbyist in Kudus, Central Java, found 4-5 aristolochioides on the elevation of 1.900-2.200 m above sea level. There, it grows along with N. singalana, N. pectinata, and N. spathulata. The decreasing population of aristolochioides out in nature is also agreed upon by Stewart. 'In fact, in one site, there was only 1 plant left,' said the hobbyist from England. Whereas according to Alfin, Charles Clarke, the writer of Nepenthes of Borneo, still saw tens of aristolochioides in that location in 1993.
The decreasing number of aristolochioides population out in nature is due to the plundering which were done by foreign and local tourists. Not surprisingly, if now it is included as a plant which was in critical condition. This Nepenthaceae family member is in the red list of rare species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) 2006.Seen in Sri Lanka
Aristolochioides is worth to be a target. The pitcher shape of the nepenthes which grows creepingly upward is distinct and unique. The pitcher length is 8-10 cm. Aristolochioides pitchers on climbing stalk usually has purple spots on ivory white colour. Whereas the lower lip edge and surface is dark red. The leaves shape of that species, native to sumatera, resembles N. bongso, in which the tip of the leaves is forming a shield.
In the mechanism of trapping the prey, the upper pitcher of N. aristolochioides resembles Darlingtonia californica or Sarracenia psittacina. The front mouth is darkened by the lid and the dark red lip. Such thing makes small insects attracted by the light which glow through the pitcher part which functioned like an ivory yellow window. The insects then enter from the dark mouth into the inner part of the shining pitcher. Once they come into the pitcher, they cannot find their way back because the entrance is dark. Eventually it is exhausted and falls into the liquid on the bottom of the pitcher.
At present the endemic Sumatera nepenthes has been cultivated a lot in nurseries. For example at Borneo Exotics in Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka. Trubus saw around 3-5 pots of aristolochioides in sphagnum moss medium in the greenhouse of the nursery 1.500 m above sea level. Far away in Australia, Exotica Plants and Captive Exotics Nursery also propagates the entuyut.
The last two nurseries are located in midland, around 600 m above sea level. However, they have a greenhouse in which the temperature is designed accustomed to the nepenthes habitat in upland. The hybirds such as N. truncata x N. aristolochioides, N. spectabilis x N. aristolochioides and N. bellii x (N. thorelli x N. aristolochioides) are far easier to be treated.
Suska's nursery which is located on the height around 400 m above sea level raised 2 pots of hybird: N. thorelli x N. aristolochioides and N. bellii x (N. thorelli x N. aristolochioides). The treatment of those two hybirds are same as other nepentheses. They are hung on a 160 cm high bamboo, under the shelter of UV plastic and 65% shading net. The result is both nepentheses grew rapidly and perform interestingly with its purplish spot red pitcher.
There aristolochioides hybrids produce pitchers every month. The difference is, when seeing the new pitchers Suska was not dancing just as Alfin dan Stewart did on the mountain where sumatera tigers swarm about.
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