Fuuran in "the wilds" of Japan!

[KyushuCalanthe]

Well, life is full of surprises. Yesterday my wife and I went to a local river to go check out a stinkhorn mushroom she saw on a school trip last Wednesday. We ended up finding more than that - a ginkgo tree FULL of Neofinetia falcata in full flower. The truth is she found the first plant - a small, budded plant that had fallen on the ground.

Here's a couple we saw. These were high up in the tree, so I had to use my video camera to get jpegs - hence the low quality of the shots.

And here's the mushroom, the octopus stinkhorn, Clathrus archeri, a native of Australia and Tasmania that has naturalized over much of the northern hemisphere. Taken with an SLR.

Here's the full article if you want to read more about the experience:

Neofinetia falcata in the wilds of Japan

 

[NYEric]

Cool. Thanks for sharing. Your wife is a school-girl!?

 

[Happypaphy7]

Cool. Thanks for sharing. Your wife is a school-girl!?

You bad boy!!!

 

[Happypaphy7]

So, did you save the fallen neo?

It's always nice to see orchids growing happily in the wild.

 

[eggshells]

Fantastic. Wow.

 

[naoki]

Very nice article! Destruction of nature in Japan is so sad. But at the same time, the way how some Japanese people appreciate the nature is a bit interesting. It is an interesting culture.

Were they growing really high on the tree (escaped from collection)?

 

[SlipperFan]

Is it unusual to still find Neos in the wild?

 

[abax]

The textures in the photos are outstanding...the rough
tree bark, lovely ginkgo leaves and the Neos snuggling
into the branch crotches is enchanting.

 

[KyushuCalanthe]

I'm glad you all were as happy with these plants as me. It is the first time I've seen this plant growing freely in "nature". If you read the article link you'll see a lot more information about the day, and a bit about this species rarity, etc.

Cool. Thanks for sharing. Your wife is a school-girl!?

Err… I don't have the ability to attract anyone so young these days despite my great wealth and looks She is a teacher, like myself.

So, did you save the fallen neo?

It's always nice to see orchids growing happily in the wild.

Yes, I did. It is going to be put out on a local mountain along with a dozen or so others like it that were given to me this spring. I've routinely found Thrixspermum japonicum and occasionally Gastrochilus matsuran on the ground in local forests, especially after heavy winds. I return these to a good perch using a simple stapler. Some survive, others not. On the ground they are dead within a couple months.

Very nice article! Destruction of nature in Japan is so sad. But at the same time, the way how some Japanese people appreciate the nature is a bit interesting. It is an interesting culture.

Were they growing really high on the tree (escaped from collection)?

The lowest one was around 5 meters up and the bulk of the colony was more like 10-15 meters off the ground. Yes, Japanese people do have an odd relationship to nature - both loving it and yet remaining separate from it. Recently, even kids are more and more indifferent to it, disliking insects, even the beloved cicadas. The world is becoming urban, and Japan has had a jump on most other countries in this process.

Is it unusual to still find Neos in the wild?

They sure are rare in these parts. The species is listed as critically endangered or endangered throughout virtually its whole range in Japan. I'm sure they are locally abundant in some areas though. I've heard of entire businesses that were based on wild collected plants that eventually shut down because there were too few plants left to collect. Things are particularly strained here since Fukuoka City is the 6th largest in Japan - centuries of concentrated human activity has taken its toll.

The textures in the photos are outstanding...the rough
tree bark, lovely ginkgo leaves and the Neos snuggling
into the branch crotches is enchanting.

Wow, thanks, and I thought the photos were pretty low quality - I had to use my video camera to get snap shots since it has a much stronger telephoto lens than my SLR - unfortunately it doesn't take high quality jpegs.

 

[Ozpaph]

I never imagined they grew wild like that!

I need to get out more if we have fungi like that downunder.

 

[Happypaphy7]

I'm glad you saved them!

Hopefully they will be happy in the new home and spread seeds all over in the area! Go, neos, stick to the trees and rocks!!