Best of the Rest
Walking the great Sipaliwini Savanna did result in more than plant collections, vegetation tables and transect maps.
Various observations and specific studies were taken in our stride.
In preparation of the Sipaliwini expedition (1968-69), pencil drawings of plants to be expected within the savanna habitat were made for later use in the field. SIPTEK contains scans of the original drawings, all based on herbarium material from Utrecht University.
A small sedge we found on wet sandy soil turned out to be the first find for South America! Go to Diplacrum africanum, the Afro-American link (pdf, 554 kB) to read more about this spectacular discovery.
The discovery of an uncommon (for Surinam) Maurisie palm is reported in Mauritiella armata, slender and thorny (pdf, 3,2 MB)
The local Trio Indians have lived near the savanna for centuries. Unsurprisingly they have an intimate knowledge of the plants and animals around them. A limited list of Trio Plant Names (pdf, 280 kB) is added.
Notes on the Shrub Woodland vegetation (pdf, 960 kB) on Inselberg slopes and images of Savanna Fires (pdf, 736 kB) complete the Sipaliwini picture.
The description of A small white-sand savanna in Southern Surinam and the Roraima Formation (pdf, 2 MB) concludes 'Best of the rest'.