Ray's ramblings

Tag: Alfred Russel Wallace

Wandering after Wallace: Gede-Pangrango National Park
Gunung Gede (2,958 m), Java, Indonesia

I have to confess at the outset that, unlike Alfred Russel Wallace, I did not manage to reach the top of this imposing mountain! Although the upper section of the mountain was closed and off-limits in August 2015 – something to do with a national holiday – I could have got higher if my knees had not given out! OK, Wallace was still only 38 years old, when he and his companions (two local hunters and two ‘coolies’ to carry his baggage!) successfully scaled both the twin volcanoes of Mount Gede (2,958 m) and Pangrango (3,019 m) in 1861 (1). My excuse was that I was considerably older and already worn out from two days of walking in the extensive botanical gardens (2). Next time I will make sure that I am fresh, as I definitely want to go back and get to the top.

Entrance to Mount Gede Pangrango National Park, Java

Nevertheless, I did manage to get a fair way up the mountain, so can a least make a partial claim to have followed Wallace, and it gave me further confirmation of the vigour and curiosity of this remarkable Victorian naturalist.

Mount Gede Pangrango National Park office

After paying the relatively steep entrance fee for foreigners (it’s a lot cheaper for Indonesians), I had a delicious cup of sugary white tea (tea tarik) to fortify me for the climb.

Start of the trail to Gunung Gede

The first part of the trail is, as Wallace describes it in The Malay Archipelago, ‘a tolerably steep ascent through a grand virgin forest’. Whether or not it is still virgin forest today is hard to say, but the birding is good and the forest appears to be very healthy despite the large numbers of people who troop up the trail, particularly the first section which leads to the Cibeureum Waterfalls (at about 1,625 m). Most of the 15,000 hectares of the park are probably inaccessible.

Trail to Cibeureum Waterfall, Gunung Gede Pangrangro National Park, Java.

Wallace was struck by the ‘immense number of ferns’ on the route and recounts ‘continually stopping to admire some new and interesting forms’. His ability to notice (and collect) plants, birds and insects is impressive, but he was a highly experienced tropical naturalist, having spent about four years in the Amazon before his extensive travels in what is now Indonesia.

The Blue Lake, Telaga Biru (1,575 m), Mount Gede Pangrango National Park

I almost missed The Blue Lake, but I was very pleased when I stopped to admire it, as a large flock of Sunda minivets (Pericrocotus miniatus) arrived in a nearby tree. These are endemic to Indonesia, Sumatra and Java, and Wallace had already obtained a specimen of this bird on his way to the mountain (1).

Flock of Sunda minivets (Pericrocotus miniatus) near the Blue Lake

Most people on the trail seemed to have target of reaching the Cibeureum Waterfall, which is not too taxing a climb. As well as the waterfall, there are a number of fine tree ferns on the slopes (below).

Cibeureum Waterfall, Gunung Gede Pangrangro National Park, Java

After the turn-off to the waterfall, the trails becomes ‘narrow, rugged and steep’ as Wallace described it (1). The path is very rocky and someone must have laboured long and hard to construct this access way to the peak.

Steep, rocky trail which begins after the waterfall turning

Nevertheless, there is much to look at during rest breaks (!) on the trail, such as the gorgeous Blue nuthatch (Sitta azurea). It appears that Wallace did collect this species from West Java – which was only first described some 30 years before in 1830 (3) – since there is a hand-written letter from A R Wallace in the Natural History Museum concerning this species (using a former name) where he refers to ‘a bird of mine’. Presumably one he collected and donated to the museum?

As well as many birds, I was fortunate enough to come across some beautiful tiger butterflies (Zinken’s tiger, Parantica albata) – also called danaids – which are endemic to Java (below).

Zinken’s tiger (Parantica albata) Java

Alas, I never made it to the Hot Springs/Air Panas (2,150 m) and turned around at about 2,000m, to save my knees. There is much to see beyond this point, and Wallace describes in detail the flora on the higher slopes of the volcano, much of which was of a temperate kind, familiar to him from his botanising in England. So I would like to go back, not only to see the impressive volcano itself, but the birds, insects and plants to be found on the top of these mountains. Like many climbers today, Wallace camped near the top and took time to explore both peaks. I had to be content with a view of Mount Pangrango from the trail on the way down (below).

Mount Pangrango (3,019m)
1. Wallace, Alfred Russel. The Malay Archipelago: the land of the orang-utan and the bird of paradise; a narrative of travel, with studies of man and nature. Courier Corporation, 1869.
2. https://rcannon993.wordpress.com/2015/10/18/wandering-after-wallace-cibodas-botanical-gardens/
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_nuthatch
4. http://www.nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/scientific-resources/collections/library-collections/wallace-letters-online/5678/6531/T/details.html
October 20, 2015
Wandering after Wallace: Cibodas Botanical Gardens
Mount or Gunung Gede (2,958 m)

Alfred Russel Wallace – the great Victorian naturalist and co-discoverer of evolution by natural selection – described his journeys in West Java in 1861 in his book The Malay Archipelago (1). He travelled from the capital Jakarta, down to the town of Bogor, where he stopped off to look at the Botanical Gardens planted by the Dutch (2). Travelling south from Bogor, by horse and on foot, he headed towards the area around the volcano Mount Gede Pangrango, which is now a National Park. He described capturing a number of birds (which ‘hunters obtained for me’) on the way – a total of 40 species ‘peculiar to the Javanese fauna’.

Cibodas Botanical Gardens trees

He also collected a number of ‘large and handsome butterflies’, including the ‘superb Papilio arjuna’ now known as the Paris Peacock (Papilio paris). Wallace vividly described the wings of this species as seemingly ‘powdered with grains of golden green, condensed into bands and moon-shaped spots’.

Paris Peacock (Papilio paris), collected by A R Wallace in 1861

On his journey, Wallace remarked on the ‘system of terrace cultivation’, which is still very much in evidence in this part of Java, Indonesia. I was also struck by how well-tended these terraces were (below).

Terraces planted with onions below Gunung Gede

Before embarking on his climb to the summit of Pangarango and Gede mountains, Wallace stopped off at the village of Tchipanas (now Cipanas) near the ‘foot of the mountain’ as he described it. Nearby, are the Cibodas Botanical Gardens, where Wallace stayed a night with the keeper. These large (85 hectares or 210 acres) gardens were founded by the Dutch botanist Johannes Teijsmannas in 1852, as an extension of the Bogor Botanical Gardens (2). They are a magnificent collection of trees and shrubs on the lower slopes (1300-1425 m) of Gunung Gede.

Cibodas Botanical Garden

The Cibodas Botanical Gardens (called Kebun Raya Cibodas or KRC in Indonesian) were therefore, only about a decade old when Wallace visited in 1861. He descibed there being ‘many beautiful trees and shrubs’ as well as an abundance of European vegetables ‘grown for the Governor-General’s table’!

Guest house in Cibodas Botanical Gardens, Java, Indonesia.

The gardens were reportedly the first place in Indonesia where cinchona trees were grown, as a source of quinine. The climate is mild, typical of tropical lower mountain ecosystems with an annual rainfall between 3,000-4,200 mm, and average temperatures of 10-18 °C. It was however, warmer than this when I was there in August 2015. The gardens are popular with both people escaping Jakarta for the weekend, as well as tourists from further afield, such as visitors from Saudi Arabia, who come to admire the waterfalls and picnic in the gardens, at a time of year when temperatures are very high in the Arabian peninsula.

Pathway from Ciismun waterfall, Cibodas Botanical Gardens, Java

It would be interesting to know what Wallace would have thought of the gardens today. He would probably have been impressed by the size of many of the trees now, some 154 years later (in 2015). For example, he might have marvelled at the Bornean kauri trees (Agathis borneensis), which are very large, evergreen trees that can grow to 60 metres (nearly 200 feet) tall. They have a straight trunk, which goes up very high without branching. Not surprisingly, A. borneensis is valued and sought after for its timber – as well as for its resin (3). I don’t know how old these trees are, but since they are slow-growing, I expect they were here when Wallace visited in 1861.

Huge Borneo kauri trees (Agathis borneensis ) Cibodas Botanical Garden

Another similar tree, is the Kauri tree (Agathis australis) from New Zealand, which can live for at least 600 years, probably longer. So the one shown gere (below), which might have been a relatively young sapling when Wallace visited in 1861, will – it is hoped – continue to grown for another 500 years or so, by which time it might equal some of its venerable ancestors in New Zealand.

Kauri tree (Agathis australis), Cibodas Botanical Gardens

There is a splendid row of large Arucaria trees. Some of these are not native, but originate from New Guinea, e.g. Araucaria cunninghamii var. papuana. The densely branching Arucaria trees are used as roosting sites by endemic Javan hawk-eagles (Nisaetus bartelsi). One morning in the gardens I heard a strange, high-pitched, cat-like calls (4) coming from high up in the Arucaria tree above me. It took me a while to realise what this was, and before I could locate it directly above me, the bird suddenly fly off to another tree further away (below) and proceeded to look out over the forest for a while.

Javan hawk-eagle (Nisaetus bartelsi) high in a tree

The densely packed branches of the Arucaria trees presumably provide protection as well as perches for roosting hawk-eagles.

Araucaria cunninghamii var. papuana

There are said to be more that 1,200 species of plants and trees in the park and many of these are exotic to Java. For example, there is an extensive collection of Eucalyptus trees (63 species) from Australia (4). The Gardens are also a popular location for birders, who come to look for species such as Java munia, Yellow-throated hanging parrot, Java fulvetta and the iconic pygmy tit, which only occurs on Java.

Lake in Cibodas Botanical Gardens, Java

The gardens are a nice place to wander amongst the trees, looking for birds, or admiring the flora. Wallace did not however, linger long at the gardens, after one night he headed off up the mountain (Pangrango and Gede). So it seems that Wallace did not do much collecting here, although I expect that he would have seen insects and butterflies, such as the attractive red dragonfly (Orthetrum chrysis) and the striking Himalayan jester (Symbrenthia hypselis).

Red dragonfly (Orthetrum chrysis)

Himalayan jester (Symbrenthia hypselis)

Cibodas Botanical gardens are popular at the weekend, but the large area soaks up the crowds and they are very pleasant to walk around, with plenty of kiosks and restaurants offering refreshment. There are also number of pleasant places to stay – at very reasonable costs – both inside and outside the gardens. I walked everywhere, but there were occasions when I wished I had a car. Or like Wallace, a horse!

Cibodas Botanical Gardens
1. Wallace, Alfred Russel. The Malay Archipelago: the land of the orang-utan and the bird of paradise; a narrative of travel, with studies of man and nature. Courier Corporation, 1869.
2. https://rcannon993.wordpress.com/2015/10/16/wandering-after-wallace-bogor-botanical-gardens/
3. http://www.borneorhinoalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/BORA-in-2012-Forestry-Annual-Report-Chap29.pdf
4. http://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Nisaetus-bartelsi
5. http://www.goodnewsfromindonesia.org/2011/01/11/see-the-world-in-cibodas-botanic-garden/
October 18, 2015
Wandering after Wallace: Bogor Botanical Gardens
Bogor Botanical Gardens lake

Alfred Russel Wallace – co-discoverer of evolution by natural selection – spent three and a half months in Java, from 18th July to 31st Oct 1861 (1). After collecting birds and insects in East Java, he took a steamer from Surabaya to Jakarta, where he stayed about a week. Jakarta did not seem to make a very good impression on Wallace. He complained that the canals ‘were all muddy’, the pebbly dives up to houses were ‘very painful to walk upon’ and he also grumbled that ‘in Jakarta everybody drives’. He probably meant, drives by horse and carriage, but it is an apt quotation; not much has changed, there are still pony and traps in some places, but it’s mainly cars, vans and buses, which are the main way of getting around for the 10 million or more of the population in Jakarta.

Central Jakarta in the early morning from my hotel window

I wonder what Wallace would have made of it now? Perhaps he would have noted that some birds still manage to exist in this vast city, living alongside man, colonising the patches of vegetation which exist here and there in parks and gardens. My own sojourn in the capital city of Indonesia was short; I found it too huge and too traffic clogged to grapple with it. I am sure there is much of interest, but I soon moved on. I hired a taxi to drive to Bogor, a city some 60 km (37 miles) south of the Indonesian capital. Wallace went by coach to Bogor (or Buitenzorg as the Dutch called it). He visited the Botanical Gardens, but was ‘somewhat disappointed’ by them (1). His main criticism was that ‘there is a great absence of skilful laying-out’ (you certainly could not say that today as they are very well laid out) and perhaps more significantly, he considered that the plants could not compare to the ‘luxuriance and beauty’ of the ‘same species grown in our hothouses’. Be that as it may, he did concede that ‘there is much to admire here’, and mentioned ‘avenues of stately palms’ and ‘an endless variety of tropical shrubs and trees with strange and beautiful foliage’. The same can be said today of the Kebun Raya Bogor as the Botanical Gardens are called in Indonesia; there are many strange and beautiful plants to admire.

Kenari Ave, Bogor Botanical Gardens

The gardens were first set up in 1817, by a Dutch botanist called Caspar Georg Carl Reinwardt (1773-1854), so they must have been quite well-developed when Wallace visited them in 1861.

Caspar Reinwardt, founder of Bogor Botanical Gardens

The gardens were later to become the life work of another Dutch botanist called Johannes Elias Teijsmann (1808-1882), who – I think – must have been there when Wallace visited in 1861, since he only relinquished the directorship of the gardens in 1869 (2). A lithograph of from the 1880’s illustrates a lily pond and fountain very similar to that which exists today (3).

Lily (lotus) pond with the Istana Palace in background, Bogor Botanical gardens

I enjoyed visiting these gardens on two successive days in August 2015. They are a good place to do birdwatching, and I was fortunate to see some Javan species, such as the Bar-winged Prinia, which is very common on the lawns; the Javan variety of the Coppersmith Barbet; and the beautiful Scarlet-headed flowerpecker.

Pink flowering tree in Bogor Botanical Gardens

But it is the plants which are so interesting in this 87 hectare (210 acres) garden, since there are over 3,373 different species. Many of the plants are exotic species (to Java) collected or brought here by the founding Dutch fathers of the gardens (2, 3), like this Rose of Venezuela (Brownea grandiceps) flower, which I blogged about before (4).

Brownea grandiceps flower ball

As well as the cacti, bamboos, orchids, roses and so on, there are also some remarkable trees. The oldest tree in the Botanical Gardens is said to be this lychee tree (below) which originated from southern China, and was planted in 1823. So it would have been a fair-sized, 38-year-old tree when Wallace visited; I wonder if he noticed it?

Lychee tree (Litchi chinensis) planted 1823

One thing that Wallace did remark on (again!), was the fact that the ‘walks were all of loose pebbles, making any lengthened wanderings about them very tiring and painful under a tropical sun’. Perhaps he had bad feet, or perhaps he was already was suffering from some tropical ulcers which plagued him in later years. Nevertheless, the pebbly walkways are still there in Bogor, but appear to be more consolidated than in Wallace’s day, and they did not impede me from walking extensively around the garden.

Cobbled, or pebbly, paths in Bogor Botanical Gardens

One very interesting plant I came across, which I am sure would have fascinated the ever-curious Wallace, was the seed of the Javan cucumber plant (Alsomitra macrocarpa) which were lying everywhere on the ground when I visited. These amazing, winged seeds, are packed into football-sized fruits, which hang down from the vines which are festooned high in the canopy. They are surely, Nature’s own hang-glider, since they are able to glide for very long distances. David Attenborough got there first! See BBC TV footage of these wonderful seeds (5).

Winged seed (Alsomitra macrocarpa) of Javan cucumber vine

One thing that Wallace may have noticed on his visit, was the Dutch cemetery, which contains some gravestones which date back as far as 1784. One which I noticed was to the memory of a Captain J. Drury R.N.. who died on the 1st March 1835, aged 51. Who was he and what was he doing here?

Dutch Cemetry, Bogor Botanical Gardens

Perhaps the most famous British person buried (elsewhere) in these gardens is Olivia Mariamne Raffles – the first wife of the British governor-general Thomas Stamford Raffles. The British invaded Java in 1811, but subsequently restored the island to the Dutch rule.

Olivia Mariamne Devenish memorial

Olivia Raffles (Née Olivia Mariamne Devenish) died of malaria in Bogor, on 26 November 1814. A rather tragic irony, given that the Botanical Gardens subsequently played major role in the introduction of Cinchona trees (in 1854), which went on to make Java the largest producer of quinine bark for the treatment of malaria.

Lotus flower (Nelumbo nucifera,) Bogor Botanical Gardens
1. Wallace, Alfred Russel. The Malay Archipelago: the land of the orang-utan and the bird of paradise; a narrative of travel, with studies of man and nature. Courier Corporation, 1869.
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Elias_Teijsmann
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caspar_Georg_Carl_Reinwardt
4. http://rcannon992.com/2015/10/11/rose-of-the-jungle/
5. http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8391000/8391345.stm
October 16, 2015