In search of Nepenthes thorelii

[Sockhom]

Hello friends,

I'm writing from Vietnam.
I just spent the last 3 days with Charles Clarke looking after the true Nepenthes thorelii after some pictures appeared on the forum in last november:
http://www.cpukforum.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=34599[/url]
We only had a rough idea of the plants location as the Vietnamese kids who found the plants refused to help me to locate and study them.
After 2 days of investigation, Charles and I managed to find the exact location that the Vietnamese kids showed on their (deleted) pictures (Can I post them again?).
A wonderful swamp with a big population of Nepenthes mirabilis and Drosera and Utricularia everywhere. I never saw such a magnificent population of crimson Drosera indica before.
This must have been the place. After a few hours of research, Charles talked to the only familly of villagers who lived near this swamp and they told that a few months ago, some Vietnamese from HoChiMinh came and dug all the plants.... That's why we found nothing.
They might be some seedlings left but we didn't saw them.
I have to say that I feel angry at the moment and quite sad. These things happen - charles did make the analogy with Nepenthes aristolochioides.
So is N. thorelii extinct?
I don't think so. It must grow in another swamp but as the sprecies grow near human lowland habitations, it will be very difficult to find a place that hasn't been turned into a paddy field in the last century
Tomorrow, Charles and I will visit one of the type locations.
Wish us good luck.

Francois.

[rsivertsen]

Best of luck in your search Francois! So sad that wholesale poaching like this happens. Let's see if anyone tries to unload them on ebay, or one of the forums. These kids could have been heroes in the CP community, and really made a name for themselves, but went for the quick opportunist cashing in on them instead; so sad on so many levels. - Rich

[NepNut]

I sincerely hope you guys will rediscover the true N. thorelii... It's a race against time from development, lost of habitat and over collection. Wish you and Charles all the best !!

[marvin1997]

Well I know something about them but....

[Sockhom]

Hello,

I have checked, with Charles Clarke, some of the type locations today.
There is nothing left as far as we could see but plantations, paddy fields, heveas and houses everywhere. If the species still grows there -very unlikely- it must be in a handful of square meters that will be one day or another wiped out by humans activities.
I have a few locations to check (alone this time, Charles had to go). Let's hope.
Cheers,
Francois.

[NepNut]

Hi Francois,
Very sad news... but there's still hope. If all else fail, try to look for people that are selling wild collected neps, that's probably the only chance you have of locating N. thorelii if you can't find them in the wild. Good luck.