Visit to Peru: July 2006

[Jeff Searle]

This past July, my son Travis, my friend Rob Van de Berg and myself, flew down to Peru for a quick visit. The main goal of this trip was to learn more about Chamaedorea fragrans. We sought out such information as: species locality, elevations where they may be found, and at what time of the year they are seeding.

   Secondly, Rob wanted to visit farms belonging to our host, Rodolfo. These farms produce thousands of cut flowers and leaves from hundreds of different plants.

A photo of a Euterpe sp. we found.

Jeff

[Jeff Searle]

Here is our host, Rodolfo, Travis and Rob from left to right. In the background are Dypsis lutescens, which are grown for cut leaves for export.

[Jeff Searle]

This is looking at some coastline in Peru.

[Jeff Searle]

The second day we left Lima and drove for approx. 6 hours heading east to the town of San Ramon. In order to get to San Ramon, you have to drive up and over the Andes Mountains,which can reach elevations of over 14,000 feet.

[Jeff Searle]

One of the many mountain slopes showing some snow.

[Jeff Searle]

One last view of the mountains. This is a man made lake, where they have done a lot of mining.

[Howeadypsis]

Great photos Jeff!

[Justin]

Here's some palm pictures we took in the Peruvian Amazon in February of 2006:

[Kamipalms]

(Jeff Searle @ Aug. 02 2006,02:59)

QUOTE

The main goal of this trip was to learn more about Chamaedorea fragrans. We sought out such information as: species locality, elevations where they may be found, and at what time of the year they are seeding.

Come on Jeff... spill the beans...what did you find and where are the fragrans pics...

[Kris]

Dear Jeff,

very nice pictures of peru and photos in post no.3,4,6 attracted me the most.it is relaxing at times when discusions on palms is also accompanied with the geographical representation of that perticular region.

i used to tell often that this forum has the ablity to function as a national geographic channel.due its superb stills from around the world.which is quiet difficult for all our forum members to visit_due to work and finiancial constrains etc..

A big thank you.  

And KamiPalms your smily icon.gif has caught my attention_good work.

[palmazon]

Great travelogue, Jeff - another home run

[bgl]

Jeff,

Love the pics! Can we expect more....?

Bo-Göran

[JakeK]

Jeff,

Those are great pictures. I do have a question though (my next hiking trip will be to Ecuador, Peru & Bolivia)...

Where was the locality of the first picture (Amazon basin side of Andes or high elevation Pacific side)?

Thanks,

Jake

[Jeff Searle]

To all of you that replied with your kind remarks, thank-you.

Jason, I am posting more pic.'s. now. The bad news , is that with only three days there, we did not have enough time to travel to witness these in habitat.

 Jake, The Euterpe was near the town of San Ramon, on the Amazon side of the Andes.

[Jeff Searle]

Ceroxylon sp. near San Ramon.

[Jeff Searle]

As I stated earlier, sadly we did not have enough time to drive where Chamaedorea fragrans is found.  This picture shows a small plant grown from seed.  The owner expressed alot of interest in starting to grow these for cut leaves to export.

[Jeff Searle]

More of the same plants.

[Jeff Searle]

High up on the mountain, looking down on one of the farms.

[Jeff Searle]

Some of the many tropical flowers grown on the farms for export.

[Robert Lee Riffle]

Hope I don't offend anyone here but, to me, the photos of the Euterpe and Ceroxylon are better than anything so far pictured on this forum from Madagascar.

There's just nothing on the planet more beautiful (and few places as beautiful) as the South American rain forests--at ALL their elevations.

I hope we can expect more photos, Jeff .... MANY more.

[Jeff Searle]

More....

[Jeff Searle]

Last picture showing the girls cleaning, then sorting out the flowers or leaves for packing. The boxes are then loaded onto open, un-refrigerated trucks. They make the eight hour drive back to Lima during night time only, when it is much cooler and less cars on the road.

[Jeff Searle]

RLR,

    Well hell, if I knew you liked it so much there, I could of saved my $10,000 ,stayed on the plane for another 18 hours,left Tana and turned to the Northwest and headed for Lima! At least I can speak some spanglish. but I don't speak french! :cool:

[Jeff Searle]

Another picture of the Euterpe, showing a more closer look of the flower spike.

[Jeff Searle]

Ceroxylon sp.

 

Can anyone help with the species?

[Bennz]

What species is the Ceroxylon at San Ramon? How many Ceroxylon really are at cold elevations? Looking at climate stats for San Ramon looks like pretty nice mild tropical to me, certainly not a cold place. Nice pictures, love to go there.

[Robert Lee Riffle]

Most importantly, Jeff, you speak Palmarian very well!

[Gaston in Argentina]

Jeff

Magnifical pictures, also the ones you show from Madagascar, are the best i have seen before.-

I cannot know well what Ceroxylon is the pictured, but, Henderson book is about

the one of the rarest and less knew Ceroxylons species, Ceroxylon weberbauerii, grow in the peruvian cloudforest at the east of the Andes in Cuzco and Pasco departament at not so high altitude as the rest of the specie.- Gaston, Ar

[Jeff Searle]

This was what I think a Geonoma species.

[Jeff Searle]

Another Geonoma.

[Jeff Searle]

Travis, Rob, and a couple of guides that we used .

[Jeff Searle]

One last view of a Ceroxylon species.

[Jeff Searle]

This was a Chamaedorea growing in the area.

[Jeff Searle]

Not sure what this was.

[Jeff Searle]

This was something I had no clue what even genus I was looking at. It was a small clumping palm,growing out in some cleared forest. It had no spines, so I think we can rule out Bactris.  Just did'nt know.

[Jeff Searle]

A closer look at the base of this same palm. Any ideas out there ??

[Jeff Searle]

OK.....one last pic. of the crown of leaves of the same Ceroxylon.

[Matt in SD]

Jeff,

I love these photo tours, thank you for posting.  For those of us living not so "exotic" lifestyles it really is therapeutic to be able to see, and dream about these sorts of trips with great photos.

Could that clumping palm be some sort of Prestoea?

Matt

[Walter John]

Justin's second pic, would that be a Welfia ?

And Jeff, could we be looking at a NEW species of palm ? That clumped one with the hessian bases and leaflets like an archontophoenix, no spines, man, that is a beauty.

That last Euterpe shot is breathtaking.

Some more serious palm expeditions need undertaking here. All corners of the globe, I wonder how many undiscovered palms are out there. Let's get sponsors, they can have a palm named after them.

Expeditionary volunteers please ? after me of course.

[Dave Butler]

Maybe another hybrid to add to the list