Some crazy-huge rafflesianas...

[paphioboy]

Saw this post on another forum. These were found for sale at a market in Brunei:
http://orchidmania.11.forumer.com/vi...r=asc&start=30

[paphioboy]

Sorry, I didn't know that you have to log in to view the page. I reuploaded the pics to re-post here. Hope that is ok...

[allenphoon]

if i not mistaken, i heard that guy buy it for SG 5, 10 or 15,,,kinda cheap if convert to RM

[lcuclcu]

wow...cheap also

[kentosaurs]

U can find these pics from GCS forum

[marvin1997]

Wow they are huge and they make me envious

[marcellocatalano]

those look like typical poached plants: huge, with no pot, just a bag, debris on the soil surface, irregular and small soil lump just taken out of the soil with a shovel. And once again, people don't seem to care: "they are huge, let's buy them".
I know, this matter is more complicated than it seems: on one side, those plants would die anyway, so it's better if they are bought by nep growers, and possibly spread in cultivation, while the wild populations are being destroyed. On the other side, if you buy those plants, the poachers see that there's a market, they will go back in the wild and poach some more plants. Poachers (and people who buy from poachers) are a big reason for the extinction of many nepenthes species, I saw that happening in Thailand year after year. Urban and agricultural development is much worse, but poachers are quite bad too.
Now, I can't say for sure that these plants have been poached, but considering the first 3 lines of my post, it would be nice to see at least some negative or interrogative reactions in a forum devoted to Nepenthes lovers. Or it's really just a matter of "they are huge, let's buy" ?

[rhealk]

Harvested from the wild. After you plant them, they pitcher wont be that big anymore

[paphioboy]

I am not encouraging PP members to buy these poached plants. I just intended to show the variation in wild rafflesiana.

[paphioboy]

But on the otehr hand, if they are poached and not purchased, the seller is not likely knowledgeable enough to maintain them in good health. If a serious enthusiast purchases them and is able to not only grow, but propagate them as well, then it will reduce pressure on natural populations. Just my 2 cents