In Sierra Gorda mountains

A 5600 Kms TOUR IN MEXICO

(By Oliver Gluch, August/September 2009)

Some years ago Zamudio discovered 2 new species in the Sierra Gorda mountains during a botanical evaluation of the Sierra Gorda biosphere reserve. He only stated Llano Conejo (in the state of San Luis Potosí) and Llano Chiquito (in the state of Querétaro) as the locations where he found some plants. Also here Google Earth provided great sattelite photographs of that area and also naming the mountain Cerro Conejo, which gave the name to one of the plains high up in the mountains, where the 2 new species were found. Fernando then was able to find a way from the San Luis Potosí side to get access to Llano Conejo and discovered P. martinezii in winter rosette, but not P. calderoniae (see Fernando’s Postcard N°23). So we were very keen to find the missing species during our visit. From the town of Xilitla there was a small road leading to 2 villages in the mountains. The road first was okay, but then the steep road where only consisting of 2 concrete tracks, which you better should not leave with the wheels of the car, otherwise you would end in stones that were beside the tracks, but on which our van hardly could drive (even 4 wheel pickups had their problems).
In the village Miramar Nuevo the journey was over, as the road was so bad, that our van could not continue. We stopped there and left the car at the side of the road. First we wanted to walk the roughly 7-8 missing km, but then we decided to hire a pickup truck, which took us (of course against payment) up to the Indian village La Trinidad. This was the entrance of the biosphere reserve. The Indians there managed the access to the mountains, meaning you had to hire a guide and you had to pay an entrance fee (which was fair enough as it was the only source of income for the people there).

Admission fee to La Trinidad Eco Preserve

Photo : Radek KASTNER

July-August 2009

Gathering point of visitors.

Photo : Radek KASTNER

July-August 2009

General view on La Trinidad and mountains behind.

Photo : Radek KASTNER

July-August 2009

Photo : Radek KASTNER

July-August 2009

Typical house of native people, made from wood, with earthen floor, but with solar collectors !!!

Photo : Radek KASTNER

July-August 2009

Surrounding forest is full of epiphytic orchids and tillandsia.

Photo : Radek KASTNER

July-August 2009

Surrounding forest is full of epiphytic orchids and tillandsia.

Photo : Radek KASTNER

July-August 2009

Dead or dry tree trunks on the picture are remains of pine trees which were damaged by last big wildfire about 15 years ago…

Photo : Radek KASTNER

July-August 2009

So we got 2 guides that took us to the Llano Conejo. The trail was more a dry steep river bed, so it was a quite exhausting hike. But along the trail there was a very interesting flora, a lot of orchids in the trees, some of them in flower. We also encountered several places where P. moranensis was growing. The habitat was a little different, as the plants were growing in moss or grasses more flat and not on steep vertical cliffs. We have not seen the place, that Fernando mentioned, where P. moranensis was growing as an epiphyte.

In the forest (mostly with pine trees, but with some shrubs, herbs and grass) between lower place of La Trinidad and higher setted place of Llano Conejo grow huge population of Pinguicula moranensis, but we can expect, that there should be another places and population with that respective species. Another one location we found on place where plants of P. martinezii grew as well.   Photo : Radek KASTNER July-August 2009	Typical habitat and vegetation on P. moranensis locations. Photo : Radek KASTNER July-August 2009
The plants grow on bare rock, in moss but in organic remains and grass as well. Photo : Radek KASTNER July-August 2009	Typical P. moranensis view, nice, wonderful, amazing forest vegetation. Photo : Radek KASTNER July-August 2009
Typical P. moranensis view, nice, wonderful, amazing forest vegetation. Photo : Radek KASTNER July-August 2009	Typical P. moranensis view, nice, wonderful, amazing forest vegetation. Photo : Radek KASTNER July-August 2009
Different colours of rosettes - all green but all red (purple/chesnut...etc.) as well. Photo : Radek KASTNER July-August 2009	Different colours of rosettes - all green but all red (purple/chesnut...etc.) as well. Photo : Radek KASTNER July-August 2009
Two differently coloured rosettes of P. moranensis on the same place. Photo : Radek KASTNER July-August 2009	Can you recognize which flowers belong to P. moranensis? Photo : Radek KASTNER July-August 2009
P. moranensis from location where they grow together with P. martinezii. Photo : Radek KASTNER July-August 2009	P. moranensis from location where they grow together with P. martinezii. Photo : Radek KASTNER July-August 2009

After 1 and 1/2 hours we finally reached the Llano Conejo. There were some rock outcrops at the edges, and on the first one we already found a large population of P. martinezii. The plants were in summer rosette, so unfortunately no plants in flower. If this is really a distinct species and different from P. agnata, it’s hard to say. From the summer rosettes I would say no. But the habitat where P. martinezii is growing is very different from the habitat of P. agnata. The Sierra Gorda is more a cloud forest. It is wet quite a long time around the year and in winter temperatures are below freezing point. It even gets snow there. The habitat of P.agnata is a more xerophytic type with clear dry and rainy seasons. I have not yet seen the flower, but according to Zamudio it also should be different from P.agnata.

P. martinezii plants grow in surrounding of Llano Conejo

We found here 3 places, where they grew called below Location 1, location 2, location 3.

P. martinezii with P. calderoniae, very steep/vertical rock, P. martinezii only in lower parts of that cliff, a few dozens of plants (2312 m).

We can suppose, that on the mountains in surrounding of Llano Conejo could be found another places with P. calderoniae, P. martinezii and of course with P. moranensis as well.

Radek KASTNER

Location 1 : only P. martinezii (vertical rocky cliff (15-20 m high) in crevices filled with organic remains and moss, hunderts of plants (2176m)

Photo : Radek KASTNER

July-August 2009

P. martinezii with P. moranensis - very shady place

- vertical cliff in complicatedly accessible mist forest, a few dozens of plants only (about 2180 m)

Photo : Radek KASTNER

July-August 2009

Location 2 - typical vegetation close to location 1. In locations 2 and 3 vegetation was much more dense.

Photo : Radek KASTNER

July-August 2009

Location 3 - typical vegetation close to location 1. In locations 2 and 3 vegetation was much more dense.

Photo : Radek KASTNER

July-August 2009

P. martinezii grow in colonies which cover rock crevices.

Photo : Radek KASTNER

July-August 2009

P. moranensis from location 2 of P. martinezii

Photo : Radek KASTNER

July-August 2009

Differently coloured rosettes of P. martinezii (from yelowish green to redish or purple coloration of leaves.

Photo : Radek KASTNER

July-August 2009

P. martinezii in crevice - rosettes have elongated leaves.

Photo : Radek KASTNER

July-August 2009

Plants in organic remains and moss

Photo : Radek KASTNER

July-August 2009

Typical accompanying vegetation on cliff location 1

Photo : Radek KASTNER

July-August 2009

All green rosettes of P. martinezii.

Photo : Radek KASTNER

July-August 2009

Scale of plants (the biggest had about 10-13 cm in diameter)

Photo : Radek KASTNER

July-August 2009

Nicely coloured plant with much mucus on its leaves

Photo : Radek KASTNER

July-August 2009

Another all green plants with much mucus and visible prey catched on the leaves.

Photo : Radek KASTNER

July-August 2009

Location 3 : P. martinezii together with P. calderoniae(see below).

Photo : Radek KASTNER

July-August 2009

Then we continued our way to find P. calderoniae. The GPS data we had from the herbar specimen were indicating a south facing cliff, so we didn’t believe this data and were looking for a north or more west facing cliff. We asked our guides to show us a way to the cliffs of the Cerro Conejo, because there the cliffs were facing north. First the trail, that leads to the point where you can acces the Llano Chiquito, was quite okay to walk. But then we had to turn left and our guides had to make us a way with their machete through the thick shrubs towards the cliffs. After more than an hour we reached the first cliffs. A little higher up on very lose and wet soil, we found the first P. calderoniae plants! They were all in summer rosette, meaning the plants where producing long leaves that reminded me a lot of P. longifolia. According to Zamudio they can get up to 26 cm long, but I don’t think we have seen plants with such long leaves. The plants were growing in crevices or in moss on vertical limestone walls. The leaves had mostly a redish to red-green colouration. Unfortunately we have not seen a single plant in flower, but there were still some plants showing fresh seed capsules, so the last flowers were not gone a long time ago. On one cliff there were also some plants of P. martinezii growing as well as P.moranensis.

Several plants had already formed its winter rosette which are slightly buried in the substrate the plants were growing in. The winter rosette looked like the onion like winter rosette of P. acuminata, but the rosette is more compact and the leaves are dark red to brown. I don’t think that anybody went to that place before. But where has Zamudio found the plants? When going back to the Llano Conejo, Kamil went to the south facing cliff, which initially was indicated by the GPS data, and the plants were also growing there, but unreachable high up on the cliffs. So P. calderoniae grows even on south facing walls in direct sunlight. Probably P. calderoniae is growing on most of the cliffs around the Llano Conejo. It was a very exciting trip into the Sierra Gorda and we were finally succesful in finding both of the new species growing there.

EL Lllano Conejo : Llano is a highland plateau. On the 4 following pictures you can see typical habitat of Llano Conejo and its surrounding. Photo : Radek KASTNER July-August 2009	Mist on Lllano Conejo Photo : Radek KASTNER July-August 2009
El Lllano Conejo. Plants  grow on very tall vertical rocky cliffs/mountains. Photo : Radek KASTNER July-August 2009	Agave strica and habitat in Lllano Conejo. Photo : Radek KASTNER July-August 2009
The first location where P. calderoniae can be found. There are two different sites near to/or on the Llano Conejo. This location may have been visited for the first time by Europeans during our expedition .   Photo : Radek KASTNER July-August 2009	Another location of P. calderoniae. This location could be the site found by Fernando.   Photo : Radek KASTNER July-August 2009
Plants grow very high, most of them are inaccessible, common plants together with butterworts were there Agave stricta. Photo : Radek KASTNER July-August 2009	Plants grow very high, most of them are inaccessible, common plants together with butterworts were there Agave stricta. Photo : Radek KASTNER July-August 2009
Leaves are long and very narrow and hang down, plants grow on the rock crevices with hidden bulbs, colour of the leaves differs from green to bright reddish.   Photo : Radek KASTNER July-August 2009	The vertical cliff where plants grow. Photo : Radek KASTNER July-August 2009
Leaves are long and very narrow and hang down, plants grow on the rock crevices with hidden bulbs, colour of the leaves differs from green to bright reddish.   Photo : Radek KASTNER July-August 2009	Normal plant has only a few leaves (from 3 to 5 at maximum!), if you see more leaves on a pictures, there are always more plants at the same place ! Photo : Radek KASTNER July-August 2009
Comparing of size with hand - more than 20 cm... Photo : Radek KASTNER July-August 2009	Pinguicula calderionae, winter bulb, starting to grow. Photo : Radek KASTNER July-August 2009
Pinguicula calderionae, regular dark red winter bulb. Photo : Radek KASTNER July-August 2009	We found P. calderoniae growing with P. martinezii together (in some lower parts of vertical cliff). Photo : Radek KASTNER July-August 2009
Leaves are long and very narrow and hang down, plants grow on the rock crevices with hidden bulbs, colour of the leaves differs from green to bright reddish.   Photo : Radek KASTNER July-August 2009	This picture is not sharp enough, but plants were too far - it was interesting, that some of plants hang vertically down from overhanging cliff... Photo : Radek KASTNER July-August 2009

All in all we passed some beautiful 3 weeks in Mexico travelling 5600 km and having seen in total 21 different Pinguicula species and a lot of different P. moranensis habitats.

Hasta pronto Mexico !

Oliver Gluch

Salud, Mexico, hasta la próxima vez !   Photo : O. Gluch's camera