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2006 IPS Biennial - Republica Dominicana


Palmarum

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2006 IPS Biennial - DR

Day 7 - Friday, October 6th

Azua - Río Vía (Barahona - Santo Domingo)

The trip on the safari vehicles lasted only about twenty-five minutes, then we arrived at an open area near a bend in the trail. We disembarked and began to follow the trail on foot, as it curved down and around the hills. The trail went on for quite a while until it reached the river, then continued upward to the summit of one of the nearby mountains.

- (11:21am) A short distance from the open area, a signature specimen of Pseudophoenix vinifera stood in a small cleared area. The height may appear distorted, but the photo was taken on the trail, which was uphill from the base of the palm. It was cleared for the biennial.

IPS_2005-10-06_11-21-40.jpg

- (11:21am) A landscape-oriented shot of the crown, showing the leaves with the valley in behind.

IPS_2005-10-06_11-21-26.jpg

- (11:31am) At this point, most of Group B (Green) went on their own to explore along the trail. As we walked down and around on the trail, we came across part of Group A (Blue) on their way back to the open area. The safari vehicles that had dropped us off, repeated the scenario from previous days and brought Group A (Blue) back to the staging area. This shot was taken in a small clearing on the side of a hill, a short distance from the trail via a fairly steep path. A pair of great palms, Coccothrinax argentata and Pseudophoenix vinifera.

IPS_2005-10-06_11-31-34.jpg

- (11:32am) A close-up of the same Pseudophoenix vinifera featured above, showing a unique bulbous trunk.

IPS_2005-10-06_11-32-00.jpg

Ryan

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South Florida

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2006 IPS Biennial - DR

Day 7 - Friday, October 6th

Azua - Río Vía (Barahona - Santo Domingo)

- (11:35am) Jeff and I, with a few others made our way down the steep path, back to the trail where many who did not want to attempt the climb, were waiting.

IPS_2005-10-06_11-35-54.jpg

- (11:41am) Areas further down the trail did not hold any more palms at easy reach, so my immediate group and I decided not to go on. We made our way back up to the open area to await the safari vehicles. As we were walking back up to the open area, we noticed part of Group A (Blue) driving off in a safari vehicle.

IPS_2005-10-06_11-41-52.jpg

- (11:45am) Most of Group B (Green) had made their way back to a high point in the trail, not far from the open area. A cooler with water had been brought up, and many took the time to look around further. In this photo, in the distance, a section of the trail can be seen with attendees, flanked by several Pseudophoenix vinifera.

IPS_2005-10-06_11-45-40.jpg

- (12:04pm) Near the same location the above photo was taken, but in reverse, this one was shot. The coastal area near Azua, plus a few small towns. In the extreme distance, that body of water is the Bahia de Ocoa.

IPS_2005-10-06_12-04-00.jpg

Ryan

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South Florida

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Sorry for the delay in posting these photos, but my Photobucket account has gotten so many hits lately, that I am running out of bandwidth for this month. It will reset in about a week, but I did not want it to max out while I am posting too many new photos. If it did run out, all my posted photos, regardless of which forum or topic they are in, would fail to load.

2006 IPS Biennial - DR

Day 7 - Friday, October 6th

Azua - Río Vía (Barahona - Santo Domingo)

An hour or so went by quickly as many of Group B (Green) explored the trail, and various paths. Many that had went on to see the river, or who had followed the trail into the mountain had returned. We gathered together and made our way back to the open area for the ride back.

- (12:04pm) A large portion of the Green Bus attendees make our way back to the open area, along the trail.

IPS_2005-10-06_12-04-06.jpg

- (12:07pm) The short walk concluded here, at the open area. Many members of the Green Bus had made their way back by now. Murray Corman in the blue, center adjusts his backpack while the rest of us continued our many conversations. Jeff Searle talks with forum members Joseph (Ortanique) & Jack Sayers (elHoagie) on the right.

At this point of the day, a situation developed where a delay occured in getting the safari vehicle back to pick us up. No one was exactly sure of what had happened, but we had to wait in the open area for an hour and twenty minutes before it had arrived. Many were ok, some who were not used to the heat sought shade. One attendee, Paul Richnow had a reaction to a food allergy from the previous night. It caused slight dehydration, but he was fine after we got back on the safari vehicle.

IPS_2005-10-06_12-07-46.jpg

- (12:59pm) Since it was apparent we had extra time on our hands, we poked around in some of the surrounding bushes. While many attended to Paul, someone noticed this spider coming in and out of a burrow nearby. It is a young, female Greater Hispaniolan Tarantula, Phormictopus cancerides, and it is getting prodded by Jeff Searle as I took the photo. I'm no spider expert, but that's the closest identification I could get, based on the photo. It is the only spider that came close, and were in the middle of its native range. Males don't even get that big. For scale, that stick is about 3/8's of an inch in diameter.

IPS_2005-10-06_12-59-28.jpg

- (1:40pm) The wait ended, and one of the safari vehicles came and gathered us up and took us back to the agricultural station near Azua. Including travel time, it was an hour and forty minutes before we got back. Here is part of Group B (Green) relaxing in the shade eating our lunch. The other half of Group B were still on their way back from the open area, near the Pseudophoenix vinifera.

IPS_2005-10-06_13-40-38.jpg

Ryan

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South Florida

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2006 IPS Biennial - DR

Day 7 - Friday, October 6th

Azua (Barahona - Santo Domingo)

We had about twenty to thirty minutes to wait until the other half of our Group B (Green) attendees arrived. Many relaxed in the shade and ate their lunch, while others decided to do a bit of exploring.

- (1:42pm) After negiotiating on the price, Andrea Searle gets on a small, motorbike taxi and heads into town to go to a nearby market. These taxis arn't the safest way to get around, but they are by far the cheapest. Expeditionary guide Randall Quirk on the right, went along as well. He knows quite a few languages fluently, and served as a translator. When they returned a few minutes later, they had quite an array of tropical fruits and canned juices. In the back on the left, Murray Corman wonders why Andrea is getting on one of the 'Dominican Kamikazis'.

IPS_2005-10-06_13-42-50.jpg

- (1:44pm) Near the entrance of the agricultural station, Jeff Searle tries to borrow the shotgun of the security guard, just to try it out.

IPS_2005-10-06_13-44-22.jpg

- (1:47pm) Even when he travels, Jeff is always looking for great deals on nursery equipment...

IPS_2005-10-06_13-47-04.jpg

- (1:59pm) The other half of our intrepid group arrived close to 2:00 pm, and they disembarked from the safari vehicle. The tour guides double checked to make sure we were all here, and we got back on the safari vehicles for the second half of our palm tour of Azua.

IPS_2005-10-06_13-59-18.jpg

Ryan

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South Florida

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Dear PalmaRum  :)

hey the coverage of the Dominican Biennial is

simply superb,i doubt would any other person

could have taken so much of photos so

exhoustevely covering those lovely phoenix

ekamanii to a lighter moment near the pool &

the one near the puntchured tractor is a good

postcard still.

lovely work & keep it up !

Love,

Kris(India).

love conquers all..

43278.gif

.

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Dear PalmaRum  :)  hey the coverage of the Dominican Biennial is simply superb,i doubt would any other person could have taken so much of photos so exhoustevely covering those lovely phoenix ekamanii to a lighter moment near the pool & the one near the puntchured tractor is a good postcard still.  lovely work & keep it up ! Love, Kris(India).

As it is probably obvious by now, I enjoy taking photos. It was a great experience to had been able to photograph the Dominican Republic and the Biennial. To me it was far from exhaustive, the work involved is hardly noticed by myself when I photograph. Its natural, like instinct, I see and then I shoot.

2006 IPS Biennial - DR

Day 7 - Friday, October 6th

Azua - Pueblo Viejo (Barahona - Santo Domingo)

Before we left on the second part of our Azua palm tour, the safari vehicles were restocked with bottled water and sodas. It made me wonder how difficult the biennial would have been, if it wasn't for these vehicles and their drivers. We would have been doing quite a bit of walking and hiking. Around 2:00 pm, we left the agricultural station and proceded southwest of Azua to the farming and historic area of Pueblo Viejo. The ride lasted only twenty minutes, and mostly traveled along paved roads through Azua. When we arrived in the area, we went off-road for a short distance along a drainage ditch, until we reached a farm.

- (2:28pm) The entire area around us was filled with palms, including the species of interest, Copernicia berteroana. There were tall coconut varieties (Cocos nucifera), Hispaniolan Royals (Roystonea borinquena), and Dominican palmettos (Sabal domingensis) spread out over various farms and stretches of land. When we got off the safari vehicles, we followed a path that led us to a cow pasture where many of the aforementioned palms were growing in abundance. These juvenile Copernicia berteroana were enjoying the fertile cow pasture, as their bright green color suggests.

IPS_2005-10-06_14-28-06.jpg

- (2:28pm) Above and to the left of the juveniles, was this stately individual Copernicia berteroana. It was still holding a fair amount of persistent leaf bases.

IPS_2005-10-06_14-28-16.jpg

- (2:30pm) In the back far corner of the cow pasture, a make-shift path led under the fence and by this very tall specimen. It was probably the tallest Copernicia berteroana around we could see. The trunk had scarring on it from a previous fire. Many of the older palms around had simular scarring.

Where there are palms, and palm fanatics, you get seed collecting. There were literally tons of seed on the ground of this species. Where ever seed had fallen...tens of thousands of seedlings were there now. In a way it was ironic to see a palm, with a fair distribution in cultivation, to exist in such huge numbers in all conceivable sizes. In the blue shirt on the left, forum member Scott Walkowicz (aztropic) looks for seed along with South Florida attendee Ron Kiefert (green) and Houston attendee Paul Norris. Just crossing under the nearby fence to the right, is forum member Jack Sayers (elHoagie), who's become an unofficial mascot of the biennial, through no fault of his own.

IPS_2005-10-06_14-30-24.jpg

- (2:31pm) The path that led under the fence, and by the huge Copernicia berteroana, went deep into the neighboring tract of land where many more palms awaited. And I do mean a lot more.

IPS_2005-10-06_14-31-04.jpg

Ryan

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Wow.  Hope you don't go over the bandwidth on the photobucket account. Zac

I am keeping an eye on the bandwidth gauge, and its a bit in the red.  :D  It should reset on Thursday I believe.

2006 IPS Biennial - DR

Day 7 - Friday, October 6th

Azua - Pueblo Viejo (Barahona - Santo Domingo)

Even with the delay we had in Río Vía, viewing Pseudophoenix vinifera, we had plenty of time to see Copernicia berteroana. All the palms were centrally located so we didn't have far to walk.

- (2:33pm) In the cow pasture, attendees view palms and carry on several different conversations. Many of the Copernicia berteroana were scattered around in the pasture. Jeff Searle in the green hat talks with Christie Jones and Joseph (Ortanique).

IPS_2005-10-06_14-33-22.jpg

- (2:38pm) A solitary Roystonea borinquena grows quite well in the cow pasture. Several Cassia sp. fill in all the gaps.

IPS_2005-10-06_14-38-04.jpg

- (2:39pm) In the nearby tract of land, next to the cow pasture, thousands of Copernicia berteroana grow with impunity. There are too many to count. All sizes and ages are represented, from seedlings to mature trees. This incredible sight is taken in by nurseryman and forum member Jerry Andersen (jdapalms)

and expeditionary guide Randall Quirk.

IPS_2005-10-06_14-39-54.jpg

- (2:40pm) I wanted a photo with as many Copernicia berteroana in it as I could fit. I came across this location and went as wide angle as I could. Try and count them all.

IPS_2005-10-06_14-40-42.jpg

Ryan

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I bet there are at least 100 there. I counted at least 60 some trunking ones in that last photo. Thats a pretty high density there in that population. Zac

Don't forget the seedlings... :ghostface:

Ryan

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Yeah I can't forget those. The only place that I think I have seen more palms in one area is a spot in Tamaulipas, where you can see a population of Sabal mexicana which numbers in the 1000s, if not hundred thousands. I have some pics, but they really don't do it justice. Richard Travis showed myself and Danny Lewis( Palmazon) them in May of 2005.

Zac

Zac  

Living to get back to Mexico

International Palm Society member since 2007

http://community.webshots.com/user/zacspics - My Webshots Gallery

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2006 IPS Biennial - DR

Day 7 - Friday, October 6th

Azua - Pueblo Viejo (Barahona - Santo Domingo)

- (2:40pm) Walking around the tract of land, over flowing with Copernicia berteroana, I noticed this one young juvenile with a large amount of white tomentum on the petioles.

IPS_2005-10-06_14-40-58.jpg

- (2:42pm) Near the front of the tract of land, the population thins just a bit. I wanted a shot with juveniles next to a mature individual.

IPS_2005-10-06_14-42-06-1.jpg

- (2:43pm) I got Jack Sayers (elHoagie) to pose in a deep area of heavy concentration. The sun was coming in on the right, and lit the palms quite well.

IPS_2005-10-06_14-43-10.jpg

- (2:43pm) Same shot as above, wider angle in a portrait orientation. Some of the palms look as if they are bending towards the center of the photo, an effect of the wide angle.

IPS_2005-10-06_14-43-24.jpg

Ryan

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South Florida

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Ryan,

     Beautiful shots of all the Cop. berteroanas. Especially the pic. with elHogie in the center.Keep them coming!

Searle Brothers Nursery Inc.

and The Rainforest Collection.

Southwest Ranches,Fl.

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2006 IPS Biennial - DR

Day 7 - Friday, October 6th

Azua - Pueblo Viejo (Barahona - Santo Domingo)

At about fifteen minutes to 3:00 pm, our tour guide Franklin walked around and informed us that our time here on the farm is coming to a close. We had some time to take some more photos, and look for more seed. Soon we would be leaving on the safari vehicles back to the agricultural station, where the Green Bus awaited our return.

- (2:45pm) South Florida attendee Dan Keys collects Copernicia berteroana seed with help from a Ziploc bag. That manufacturer of plastic bag got quite a bit of advertisement during the biennial.

IPS_2005-10-06_14-45-26.jpg

- (2:47pm) In the sea of what was thousands of Copernicia berteroana, was one Sabal domingensis, a bit on the well done side. I took a comparison shot of the two, with the S. domingensis on the right, slightly burnt.

IPS_2005-10-06_14-47-26.jpg

- (2:49pm) We began to make our way back to the cow pasture, as I asked Christie Jones, Curator of Palms & Cycads for Fairchild TB Garden, to pose in front of a Copernicia berteroana. She should also be familiar from the Rare Event '06 thread posted earlier.

IPS_2005-10-06_14-49-42.jpg

- (3:01pm) The safari vehicles awaited us after the short walk back along the path to the off-road trail. We were in high spirits after seeing so many palms in one small area. That great experience was added to a long list already compiled during the biennial. As the safari vehicle begins its way back to the agricultural station, Paul Norris on the left relaxes, while Jim & Judy Glock express their palm enthusiasm with Jeff Searle. One of many farms can be seen in the background, dotted with several species of palms.

IPS_2005-10-06_15-01-44.jpg

Ryan

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My bandwidth limitations finally reset this morning.  :) As you can see in this screen shot taken a few days ago, I was close to running out. The amount of hits and bandwidth are a months worth, from Oct. 16th, to today.

2006-11-15_23-49-53.jpg

2006 IPS Biennial - DR

Day 7 - Friday, October 6th

Baní (Barahona - Santo Domingo)

As soon as we returned to the agricultural station, the other half of Group B (Green) followed soon behind. We boarded the Green Bus, with both palms and relaxation on our minds. It had already been a long day, of sightseeing and traveling, but it was entirely worth it. We still had one more stop for the day, to see a unique population of Coccothrinax spissa. About halfway along Route 2, between Azua and Santo Domingo, was our next stop, the small town of Baní. Life on the Green Bus was as jovial as ever. In the hour and a half it took us to travel to Baní, more jokes and stories were told that I can remember, not to mention rum consumption. The content that became available was astounding, when you put into perspective the people onboard, and the lives and destinations they had experienced. Close to 4:30 pm, we arrived in Baní, near the center of town. Our bus pulled over along one of the major roads, and we disembarked, and proceded to follow a trail along an aqueduct. At the end of which, was a path that led through a fence, up onto this large hill in the center of town. This hill held an incredible population of Coccothrinax spissa.

- (4:30pm) During the biennial, I was told stories of previous biennials, and the large array of experiences that took place during them. The general conclusion I came to, was that anything that can happen on a biennial, will happen. As we were walking along the aqueduct, we looked upstream and noticed a group of kids that were 'tubing' down stream. Minus inner tubes of course. The flow of water downstream was quick, but not too swift.

IPS_2005-10-06_16-30-14.jpg

- (4:30pm) To make things a little interesting, Jeff Searle decided to throw some money to them. Some times they caught it, other times they had to dive for it. It was funny to see their reactions as both the kids and Jeff were laughing. To quote Jeff as he was talking to other attendees at the moment: "You never know what will happen at a biennial."

IPS_2005-10-06_16-30-44.jpg

- (4:32pm) A look of puzzlement overcame one of the kids, as he tries to figure out the strange coin Jeff threw him. It was a US Quarter.

IPS_2005-10-06_16-32-24.jpg

Ryan

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South Florida

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2006 IPS Biennial - DR

Day 7 - Friday, October 6th

Baní (Barahona - Santo Domingo)

It was an unusual sight seeing so many palms, growing quite well in habitat, in the middle of a large town. The land was owned by a farmer, who grazed cattle upon it, and sold the palm leaves for thatch. The farmer was paid over a year ago not to harvest the leaves, so that the palms would look good for us when we arrived on the biennial. One disturbing fact I noticed that there was no juvenile or younger-aged specimens around. I figured the cattle has something to do with that, since I saw very few seedlings. I hope the population doesn't dwindle. One side note to mention, pretty much every photo you have seen of Coccothrinax spissa in a book, journal, etc., was taken here on this hill.

- (4:35pm) Walking our way up the hill, this was the first pair of Coccothrinax spissa we came across. Many of the larger individuals had burrows in the swollen part of the trunk.

IPS_2005-10-06_16-35-36.jpg

- (4:36pm) A wider angle, on one side of the hill, showing the bulk of these peculiar palms. As you can see, not too many juveniles. The palm in the center shows the characteristic look of a full size Coccothrinax spissa.

IPS_2005-10-06_16-36-52-1.jpg

- (4:38pm) A close-up of one of the smaller individuals, showing the leaf bases and fiber on the trunk.

IPS_2005-10-06_16-38-36.jpg

- (4:39pm) Many of Group B (Green) viewed the palms from the top of the hill. It was a bit windy up there, but it was cooler and relaxing. The southern areas of Baní can be seen in the distance, along with the Caribbean Sea in the extreme distance. Karolyn & Bo-Göran Lundkvist (bgl) view the palms and take photos on the left, with Christie Jones [brown]. On the right Joseph (Ortanique) and Paul Norris do the same.

IPS_2005-10-06_16-39-38.jpg

Ryan

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South Florida

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2006 IPS Biennial - DR

Day 7 - Friday, October 6th

Baní (Barahona - Santo Domingo)

We had about thirty minutes to look around, until we were due back at the bus to leave for Santo Domingo.

- (4:40pm) Christie Jones, from Fairchild TB Garden stands next to collector Ray Gompf. Trunks of a few Coccothrinax spissa are behind them, with more further down the hill. Western Baní can be seen in the distance.

IPS_2005-10-06_16-40-12.jpg

- (4:42pm) I needed photos of juvenile specimens, but since I didn't find any, I found these two smaller ones. They seemed to be the youngest plants around. Some of the palms down the hill are Sabal domingensis.

IPS_2005-10-06_16-42-06.jpg

- (4:44pm) Group B (Green) gathers around the top of the hill taking photos and discussing how unique these palms are. Front and center are Jeff Searle and forum members Kate Ostadal (Kathryn) and Jack Sayers (elHoagie).

IPS_2005-10-06_16-44-36.jpg

- (4:46pm) Looking down the western side of the hill, attendees look for what ever seed might be available under a group of large Coccothrinax spissa.

IPS_2005-10-06_16-46-00.jpg

Ryan

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South Florida

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2006 IPS Biennial - DR

Day 7 - Friday, October 6th

Baní (Barahona - Santo Domingo)

Our time on the hill, as it were, was slowly coming to a close. There were many Coccothrinax spissa to admire, since this was the last palm we saw in habitat. Most of us knew this, but didn't want it to be mentioned since we knew it ment the closing of the biennial.

- (4:48pm) South Florida attendee Ron Kiefert poses next to one of the larger specimens, closer to the top of the hill. This one in particular had a very large burrow dug into it.

IPS_2005-10-06_16-48-22.jpg

- (4:50pm) Attendees take some last minute photos and video as this leg of the trip begins to end. Murray Corman signals to everyone that we have been told to begin our way back to the bus.

IPS_2005-10-06_16-50-58.jpg

- (4:53pm) Before we began to leave, I noticed this one individual Coccothrinax spissa. It had a heavier then average silver color, and was very striking.

IPS_2005-10-06_16-53-40.jpg

- (4:59pm) Group B (Green) worked our way down the hill, along a short path that led back to the aqueduct. Just as we reached the gate bordering the trail, Group C (Orange) arrived. We all said hello, as they started to disembark from the safari vehicle, and we appeared from the path. In the near center, right, IPS President Paul Craft [darker shirt] makes his way to the hill, behind fellow group member Barry Lang. On the far right, Group B (Green) member Randall Quirk greets the other attendees.

IPS_2005-10-06_16-59-58.jpg

Ryan

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South Florida

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2006 IPS Biennial - DR

Day 7 - Friday, October 6th

Santo Domingo

When we arrived back in Santo Domingo, it was a nice sense of deja vu being back in the city.  It was a huge feeling of accomplishment when we set our eyes on the Hotel el Embajador, for the second time this trip. It ment we had traveled nearly to Haiti and back, and saw some pretty amazing things.

- (8:01pm) The trip from Baní to Santo Domingo lasted about two hours. The trip was fairly quiet, as many decided to rest and catch up on some sleep. By this time, the illnesses that befell a few of the attendees from our group, had subsided. It made it easier for some of more ill-feeling attendees to relax and enjoy the biennial. We checked into the hotel with ease, since we had a lot of practice during this trip. After many had found their rooms, attendees returned downstairs to again share a drink and partake in bewildering conversations by the hotel bar.

IPS_2005-10-06_20-01-24.jpg

- (9:31pm) The schedule for the biennial had us on our own for dinner Friday night. Many biennial attendees, or anyone familiar with the Hotel el Embajador, knows there is a small Italian restaurant just outside the hotel, and down the street a short ways. My immediate group and I, had eaten here for lunch earlier in the biennial, and decided to try it for dinner. Joining us (Jim & Judy Glock, Jeff & Andrea Searle and myself) for dinner are forum members Kate Ostadal (Kathryn) and Jerry & Cynthia Andersen (jdapalms).

IPS_2005-10-06_21-31-22.jpg

- (11:06pm) As yet another day of the biennial came to a close, members of Group B (Green) found ourselves gathered around and discussing the day and sharing different perspectives. Judy & Jim Glock sit in one part of a circle, next to Kate Ostadal (Kathryn). Jim is in the middle of telling one of his trademark jokes.

IPS_2005-10-06_23-06-00.jpg

- (11:06pm) The conclusion of the joke, with reactions from Jim and Kate, along with attendee Rob Branch.

IPS_2005-10-06_23-06-24.jpg

Ryan

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South Florida

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2006 IPS Biennial - DR

Day 7 - Friday, October 6th

Santo Domingo

- (11:29pm) One thing that was a guarantee being apart of the 'Green Bus', there was never a dull moment... The other side of the circle, Andrea & Jeff Searle with Cynthia Andersen, and forum member Jon Kenahan (Bilbo). Those small drinks on the table, half filled with lime wedges, became an instant hit among attendees. They almost caused a few people to hit the floor.

IPS_2005-10-06_23-29-24.jpg

- (11:30pm) With all the noise we were making, our circle of attendees was hard to ignore. By this time, Murray Corman had joined our group along with Jack Sayers (elHoagie) and Joseph (Ortanique) just off camera. We all hung out here for a few more minutes, until saying goodnight, and bringing Day 7 to a close.

IPS_2005-10-06_23-30-20.jpg

Ryan

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South Florida

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Ryan,

    So who do think consumed the most Presidente Beer while over there? Or for that matter, the most of anything. :P

Searle Brothers Nursery Inc.

and The Rainforest Collection.

Southwest Ranches,Fl.

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Ryan,

   So who do think consumed the most Presidente Beer while over there? Or for that matter, the most of anything.

I am not sure who would win that ominous award, I could think of a few, but as a whole the 'Green Bus' would win hands down.

2006 IPS Biennial - DR

Day 8 - Saturday, October 7th

Santo Domingo

The second Saturday of the biennial, was a lighter day in the way of scheduling. A majority of attendees went on the provided tour of the old Colonial Zone and visit to a local nursery outside of the city. Since my immediate group and I explored the Colonial Zone last Sunday, we thought of other things we could do. We settled on a return trip to the National Botanical Garden, Dr. Rafael Moscoso. An idea was made to explore the garden at our leisure, and look for plants we didn't see on the tram tour from Day 3. We had plenty of time to do everything before the farewell dinner, later that evening.

- (10:31am) Since we were not following the schedule for the day, we ate breakfast at the hotel a short while after the other attendees had left. Our group were slightly divided on what they wanted to do, so we came up with a compromise. One part will go to the garden, while the other half went to the market area to do some shopping. We would then meet at the same restaurant we had a drink at last time in the Old Town, Day 2. On the right, the beautiful flower arrangement had since been changed since our first time at the Hotel el Embajador. We all decide who is going where with whom, in the hotel lobby.

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- (11:10am) We figured out who was going to the garden, then we piled into a taxi after bartering on the price. A short ride through the city, and we were back at the National Botanic Garden, Dr. Rafael Moscoso. We began at the front of the garden, and worked our way around. Here is one of many crotons we saw. Jeff Searle and Judy Glock are avid croton fanatics and they tried to out do each other in identifying them. This one like many, has incredible color that's pretty hard to beat by any other plant. If any one wants to ID this one, by all means do, I am still learning crotons.

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- (11:13am) In one of the first sunny areas of the garden, this Calamus sp. runs rampant through a nearby group of trees.

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- (11:13am) A close-up of one leaf belonging to the above Calamus sp.

IPS_2005-10-07_11-13-22.jpg

Ryan

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South Florida

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Ryan,

This is awesome, I feel like I'm reliving all the good times I had in the DR....

Jack

Jack Sayers

East Los Angeles

growing cold tolerant palms halfway between the equator and the arctic circle...

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Ryan, absolutely amazing documentation of the trip.  Gosh, you guys must have had so much fun.  Thanks for all your hard work posting this.  I hope I can save enough money to make Costa Rica in 2008.

Matt Bradford

"Manambe Lavaka"

Spring Valley, CA (8.5 miles inland from San Diego Bay)

10B on the hill (635 ft. elevation)

9B in the canyon (520 ft. elevation)

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(MattyB @ Nov. 17 2006,13:29)

QUOTE
Ryan, absolutely amazing documentation of the trip.  Gosh, you guys must have had so much fun.  Thanks for all your hard work posting this.  I hope I can save enough money to make Costa Rica in 2008.

Matt,

      Start saving! You would'nt be disappointed. There's going to be much more to see and do in Costa Rica. Lots of rainforest and many,many palms.

   Jeff

Searle Brothers Nursery Inc.

and The Rainforest Collection.

Southwest Ranches,Fl.

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2006 IPS Biennial - DR

Day 8 - Saturday, October 7th

Santo Domingo - National Botanic Garden, Dr. Rafael Moscoso, Part 2

Our group continued our private tour of the garden, from the open palmetum area, back towards the main entrance.

- (11:14am) Bright splashes of red decorate this remarkable croton, as Jeff holds back a few leaves. The name of this variety escaped from my notes, so again if anyone wants to identify it, by all means.

IPS_2005-10-07_11-14-20.jpg

- (11:16am) A large grouping of Blue Latan Palms, Latania loddigesii. Many of which were in different stages of flowering and setting seed.

IPS_2005-10-07_11-16-06.jpg

- (11:22am) A pair of well grown Chinese Fan Palms, Livistona chinensis. Many of the lawn and turf areas of the garden were well manicured.

IPS_2005-10-07_11-22-10.jpg

- (11:25am) Near one of the garden's library buildings was this ornate Coccothrinax sp. I looked around for an I.D. tag or sign, but none was found. It is possibly a C. argentea.

IPS_2005-10-07_11-25-24.jpg

Ryan

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South Florida

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Ryan,

This is awesome, I feel like I'm reliving all the good times I had in the DR....

Jack

Jack, I get the same feeling everyday I look at my photos. When viewed in order, it's almost like watching a movie of the biennial. I can almost relive it as if it was yesterday.

2006 IPS Biennial - DR

Day 8 - Saturday, October 7th

Santo Domingo - National Botanic Garden, Dr. Rafael Moscoso, Part 2

After a quick look around at the entrance area, we chose a paved trail that led into the garden and followed it. We stopped along the way to view anything interesting that we might have noticed on the tram tour from Day 3.

- (11:25am) The main entrance area of the garden in all its splendor. Many of the garden's key plants were represented in this section, from popular natives to spectacular exotics. The area was dotted with many King Sagos, Cycas revoluta, as well as a few Hispaniolan Royals, Roystonea borinquena. The main entrance gate to the garden can be seen in the distance.

IPS_2005-10-07_11-25-52.jpg

- (11:30am) Not far from the main entrance, and around the corner from the gift shop was this newly planted grove of Reinhardtia paiewonskiana. This decorative native is one of the few understory, rainforest palms of the country.

IPS_2005-10-07_11-30-04.jpg

- (11:42am) "There's one!" As nurseryman and forum member Jerry Andersen (jdapalms) points out a specific species we were looking for. Himself, along with Jack Sayers (elHoagie), joined our group (Jim & Judy Glock, Jeff Searle and myself) in our second excursion to the garden. We all found it interesting to view the garden at this alternate pace. The trail we were on was very dense on both sides with vegetation. It led around the garden and split into many other trails.

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- (11:45am) Another specimen of that same Coccothrinax sp. posted above. This one had been grown more in shade than the other one, and shows a lightly different appearance.

IPS_2005-10-07_11-45-50.jpg

Ryan

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South Florida

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2006 IPS Biennial - DR

Day 8 - Saturday, October 7th

Santo Domingo - National Botanic Garden, Dr. Rafael Moscoso, Part 2

We followed the trail until it split into different directions. We found ourselves back at the palm area, that was the first stop of the tram from Day 3.

- (11:48am) The trail we were on began to turn back towards the center of the garden. Near the curve in the trail was this extremely tall Hispaniolan Royal, Roystonea borinquena. The crown was home to a very large birds nest. I was not sure who it belonged to, but there were a few ospreys nearby.

IPS_2005-10-07_11-48-52.jpg

- (11:52am) Although it is small, and far from mature, I had to post at least one Pseudophoenix sargentii photo. This way I could say I viewed and photographed every species of the genus Pseudophoenix on one trip. There are not too many places in the world one could do that.

IPS_2005-10-07_11-52-28.jpg

- (11:55am) Even though it was not mentioned on the tram tour, we managed to find the population of the rare Acrocomia quisqueyana not far from the Pseudophoenix gathering. It has been documented as being the same species as A. aculeata. I still believed it to be a very interesting group of armed palms, with very nice foliage, regardless of what their name is.

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- (11:55am) Same area as above, shot to include most of the group.

IPS_2005-10-07_11-55-50.jpg

Ryan

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South Florida

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2006 IPS Biennial - DR

Day 8 - Saturday, October 7th

Santo Domingo - National Botanic Garden, Dr. Rafael Moscoso, Part 2

- (11:57am) The same Aiphanes minima I photographed from Day 3, this time I used a different lens. It is truly remarkable in its appearance. I wonder if any of its offspring would look simular.

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- (12:09pm) The crown of the native Calyptronoma rivalis, showing its unique inflorescences and leaf bases.

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- (12:09pm) Same individual as above, showing the entire crown and leaves.

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- (12:11pm) A close-up of one inflorescence as the male flowers began to emerge, almost to full staminate anthesis.

IPS_2005-10-07_12-11-26.jpg

Ryan

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South Florida

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2006 IPS Biennial - DR

Day 8 - Saturday, October 7th

Santo Domingo - National Botanic Garden, Dr. Rafael Moscoso, Part 2

- (12:21pm) Outside one of the rare plant conservatories was this very large Large-Leaf Seagrape, Coccoloba rugosa. Jeff Searle holds one of the leaves, even though this photo doesn't do it justice. The leaves are very stiff like cardboard, and have a covering of fine hairs.

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- (12:26pm) One of the many intersections of the trail that meandered throughout the garden. On the right is a grouping of very large Sabal causiarum specimens, they are truly massive.

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- (12:34pm) By this time we had made our way across to the other side of the garden. This area held many of the garden's Agave sp. and cacti collections. Jeff Searle and forum member Jack Sayers (elHoagie) try to identify this species of Agave.

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- (12:34pm) A grouping of large blue Agave.

IPS_2005-10-07_12-34-36.jpg

Ryan

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South Florida

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2006 IPS Biennial - DR

Day 8 - Saturday, October 7th

Santo Domingo - National Botanic Garden, Dr. Rafael Moscoso, Part 2

At this point in our tour of the garden, we realized we needed to head back to the entrance. We made arrangements for the taxi that brought us here, would also take us to the Colonial Zone to meet up with the other group. Hopefully, the taxi driver would remember.

- (12:50pm) As we followed the trails back towards the entrance, we noticed this peculiar Dypsis sp. just off the trail. It was solitary, with a large, heavily branched inflorescence. The upper part of the crownshaft was slightly tristichous. We churned our brains into figuring out this species. We thought it could be a solitary Dypsis cabadae, or even a thin Dypsis madagascariensis.

IPS_2005-10-07_12-50-30.jpg

- (12:51pm) Not far from that unknown Dypsis, was a shorter than usual Fishtail Palm, Caryota mitis. This one sucker on the bottom was already flowering, even though it was only about 18 inches (45cm) long. We thought it to be unusual.

IPS_2005-10-07_12-51-40.jpg

- (1:01pm) Just as our taxi was due, we reached the entrance area of the garden. In one corner, was the garden's famed grouping of Attalea crassispatha. These unique and very rare Haitian Oil Palms were just beginning to grow trunk. This species was last on my list of "must-see" palms on the biennial.

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- (1:01pm) A close-up of the Attalea crassispatha on the left, showing the deep grayish-green leaf bases and heavy fiber.

IPS_2005-10-07_13-01-44.jpg

Ryan

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South Florida

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2006 IPS Biennial - DR

Day 8 - Saturday, October 7th

Santo Domingo - National Botanic Garden, Dr. Rafael Moscoso, Part 2

- (1:09pm) We were just heading towards the gate when we noticed this brightly colored palm hidden under a Bismarck Palm. The color of red, that covered all the petioles and rachis, is real and not edited. Jeff and I were stumped, and had no idea what the genus could be, let alone the species. I know the color has got to be a juvenile characteristic, and is not on a mature palm. The size scale of the leaves, leaflets, and leaf bases suggest a moderate to small palm. If anyone knows what it is, or can suggest a genus, post away.

IPS_2005-10-07_13-09-42.jpg

- (1:10pm) Same palm as above, photographed to show the entire plant.

IPS_2005-10-07_13-10-56.jpg

- (1:16pm) Near the gate of the garden, this bright red croton variety shines brightly in full sun.

IPS_2005-10-07_13-16-38.jpg

- (1:21pm) Not far from the above red croton, was this smaller, shade grown individual. It had wide range of mixed colors, splashed on lanceolate leaves.

IPS_2005-10-07_13-21-32.jpg

Ryan

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South Florida

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Load time

Zone 10a at best after 2007 AND 2013, on SW facing hill, 1 1/2 miles from coast in Oceanside, CA. 30-98 degrees, and 45-80deg. about 95% of the time.

"The great workman of nature is time."   ,  "Genius is nothing but a great aptitude for patience."

-George-Louis Leclerc de Buffon-

I do some experiments and learning in my garden with palms so you don't have to experience the pain! Look at my old threads to find various observations and tips!

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on dial-up is approaching

Zone 10a at best after 2007 AND 2013, on SW facing hill, 1 1/2 miles from coast in Oceanside, CA. 30-98 degrees, and 45-80deg. about 95% of the time.

"The great workman of nature is time."   ,  "Genius is nothing but a great aptitude for patience."

-George-Louis Leclerc de Buffon-

I do some experiments and learning in my garden with palms so you don't have to experience the pain! Look at my old threads to find various observations and tips!

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2 hours.  Especially when its a few days between posts as my computer purges the temporary memory.

Zone 10a at best after 2007 AND 2013, on SW facing hill, 1 1/2 miles from coast in Oceanside, CA. 30-98 degrees, and 45-80deg. about 95% of the time.

"The great workman of nature is time."   ,  "Genius is nothing but a great aptitude for patience."

-George-Louis Leclerc de Buffon-

I do some experiments and learning in my garden with palms so you don't have to experience the pain! Look at my old threads to find various observations and tips!

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So, Ryan "Post Away"!!!  :D

Zone 10a at best after 2007 AND 2013, on SW facing hill, 1 1/2 miles from coast in Oceanside, CA. 30-98 degrees, and 45-80deg. about 95% of the time.

"The great workman of nature is time."   ,  "Genius is nothing but a great aptitude for patience."

-George-Louis Leclerc de Buffon-

I do some experiments and learning in my garden with palms so you don't have to experience the pain! Look at my old threads to find various observations and tips!

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