Madagascar November 2015

[Hoy]

November is first summer month with warm weather and rain. End of dry season (which is warm also by Norwegian standards anyway  ). They had gotten some rain just before we arrived in Antananarivo Nov. 8 so the landscape had started to look a bit green already. Although this trip was not primarily a botanical tour plants always add a bonus to me.

Antananarivo is a huge city with about 2 mill inhabitants and lots of interesting places but we had no time to explore the city (our plane was 1 1/2 days delayed ) so we had to set out for Tulear (Toliara) on the south west coast where our tour started.

Antananarivo or Tana.





On the 9th we went by plane to Toliara (more delays) via Tolarano on the south east coast. The forests of the big island is under threat and we noticed many forest fires deliberately started to get more cropland.

Fields -




- and the clouds are as much smoke as water vapor.

[Robert]

Trond,

Looking forward to more photographs from your trip!

It appears as if there has been severe deforestation! How very sad. I hope the people of Madagascar can find a good solution to this situation very soon.

Now off to Sacramento for a few days.

[David Nicholson]

Very interesting Trond, I wait for more. Many thanks for posting.

[Hoy]

Thanks Robert and David I will post the next few days when I have time!


I have not found any flora of Madagascar and it is time-consuming to look for names on the web so many of the plants have yet no name.

It is > 15 species of Bauhinia and most are endemic!

Bauhinia sp. Edit: Delonix pumila?

[Hoy]

Markets were everywhere - and always with plenty of fruits and vegetables.




The trees typically has swollen stems in this part of Madagascar. Baobab or Pachypodium species.






Baobabs can be more than 1000 years old - and they grow very slowly and it takes several 100 years to achieve the typical trunk.




Savannah-like landscape.

[Hoy]

Along the road from Toliara to Isalo National Park.






Two unknown red blooming plants in the desert.

[Gabriela]

Wonderful, warm pictures Trond! Looking forward to see more The baobabs must be even more impressive in reality.
The first image showing Poinsettia and Boungavillea branches in the corner (if I'm not wrong) remainds me very much of Mexico.

[fermi de Sousa]

I have not found any flora of Madagascar and it is time-consuming to look for names on the web so many of the plants have yet no name.

Hi Trond,
My friend Stephen Ryan from Mt Macedon has led tours to Madagascar and may be able to help.
You can contact him on tuguriumATbigpond.com (replace AT with @). He's leading a group next October and again the following year, so if people get enthused by your pics they can contact him about joining in!
cheers
fermi
PS I did get his permission to post his contact details!

[Hoy]

Wonderful, warm pictures Trond! Looking forward to see more The baobabs must be even more impressive in reality.
The first image showing Poinsettia and Boungavillea branches in the corner (if I'm not wrong) remainds me very much of Mexico.

Thanks, Gabriela

Poinsettia and Bougainvillea are right.
Poinsettias were rare (where I went) but Bougainvilleas and other commen showy tropical plants were common in the cities. Even roses were used in gardens.

[Hoy]

Hi Trond,
My friend Stephen Ryan from Mt Macedon has led tours to Madagascar and may be able to help.
You can contact him on tuguriumATbigpond.com (replace AT with @). He's leading a group next October and again the following year, so if people get enthused by your pics they can contact him about joining in!
cheers
fermi
PS I did get his permission to post his contact details!

Fermi, thank you for your suggestion. If I asked Mr Ryan to help with all my unnamed plants he would be very busy for a long time But I will think of it - some are more of interest than others.

I will recommend a trip to Madagascar. October is the last "winter" month.

[Hoy]

A chain of mountains, or rather a chain of mountain chains go from north to south of Madagascar and divide the island in a drier western part and a wetter eastern part. The mountains in Isalo National Park consists of sandstone and conglomerate.





The sandstone absorbs water like a sponge. The watercourses that have their sources here contain water all the year, even in the dry season.

An unknown shrub at the foot of the cliffs.






A shrub related to Malva I suppose.

[Hoy]

Campsite by the foot of the cliffs. Later we explored the canyons for one day before we crossed the mountains by foot.






One of the inhabitants.




Ludwigia jussiaeoides or a close relative!




This plants reminds me of a Browallia and it is probably a relative.

[dscherberich]

Hi Trond, the Flore de Madagascar is online here, but it is in French unfortunately (not for everybody  )

http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/32998#page/1/mode/1up

You can select the volume and family treatment just at the right side of the title. If you have any translation question I will be glad to help.

[Gerdk]

This kind of pictures are exactly what we need during NH November.
Thank you Trond for sharing these wonderful impressions!

Gerd

[Hoy]

Hi Trond, the Flore de Madagascar is online here, but it is in French unfortunately (not for everybody  )

http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/32998#page/1/mode/1up

You can select the volume and family treatment just at the right side of the title. If you have any translation question I will be glad to help.

Thanks David!

I have tried to use it but it is a bit time consuming - and it is not only the language!
A newer catalogue is here

http://www.tropicos.org/RankBrowser.aspx?letter=1&ranklevel=family&projectid=17

but no pictures.