Henekelia platypus and a crinkly relative

I have sighted Henckelia platypus numerous times in primary forests of Malaysia and Thailand and it seemed to prefer slopes near the water. This is one of the habitat of the plant, perched on a rocky bank beside the stream. It is supposedly still found in Singapore BTH but it must be very rare now.

It has a trunk up to waist high with a rosette of textured leaves, which in itself would be quite attractive. When in full flowering glory however, the plant is magnificent. The flowers may be white or mauve with yellow stripes at the throat.

There is also smaller relative of this plant growing in my plot which has similar flowers but extremely crinkly leaves. It is very neat - but I have yet to find a name for it since these plants are so little known and literature is scarce.

Cultivation of these interesting gesneriads are not widespread however, as they like hot humid environment which are not easily replicated at home. On top of that, their sensitive foliage is very sensitive to stagnant water and chemicals.

By the mountain stream

Just 15 minutes detour from the main road, we reached this pristine mountain stream in South Thailand. The cool caressing creek, the ceaseless cries of the cicadas .... and I am a child again.

 

The fast flowing and highly oxygenated water is an ideal habitat for some lively loaches. We netted Schistura robertsi and this lizard fish Homaloptera smithi.....

Homaloptera smithi

.... and frightened this juvenile stream toad to jump out from its perch onto a boulder ....

Bufo asper

 ..... then a bold crab strutted by and was promptly shot.....by my Olympus.

We were lucky to find some yellow blooming Habenaria rhodocheila here and there, even though the flowering season was almost over.

Actually Habenaria rhodocheila is supposed to be pink flowering and some taxonomists have a new name for this yellow form - H. xanthocheila.  This is the first time I have seen the yellow form which is more uncommon than the pink ones. Both of them are seasonal and will go dormant for a few months each year, leaving behind a smallish tuber in the ground.