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.