Moss collecting in Sri Lanka, 17-29 May 2004

Sinharaja forest Looking NE from Corbett's Gap, Knuckles

All photos on this page © Brian O'Shea

Where: Sinharaja Forest (17-20 May) and Knuckles (25-29 May).

Organised by: Dr. Nimal Gunatilleke, Department of Botany, University of Peradeniya, with cooperation of Dr. Siril Wijesundara, Director, Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya.

Bryologists: Dr Benito C. Tan, Singapore University and Brian J. O'Shea, Natural History Museum, London, U.K.

Assisted by: Asanga Wijetunga, Suranjan Fernando, Pradeep (University of Peradeniya) and Nadeeka Gunawardina (Royal Botanic Garden, Peradeniya).

Acknowledgement for funding is given to: University of Peradeniya,  Peradeniya Royal Botanic Gardens, National Geographic Society and National University of Singapore.

Localities visited:

Date

Loc.

Locality

Alt.

Longitude (N)

Latitude (E)

Deg

Min

Sec

Deg

Min

Sec

17.5

1

Boulder near Buddhist temple

1030

6

23

8

80

36

10

2

Stream by marker 'Enselwatte Estate. Singheraja Di.'

1026

6

23

28

80

36

14

3

Tea plantation and adjacent forest

1020

6

23

25

80

35

53

18.5

4

TV Relay Station and forest to south

1340

6

23

9

80

39

14

5

Gongala Div., forest with cardamom

1105

6

22

45

80

39

41

6

(Suranjan's collections)

             

19.5

7

Sinharaja Forest Reserve

300

6

22

13

80

28

46

20.5

8

Suriyakande Buddhist Temple

1015

6

27

8

80

36

41

                   

25.5

9

Dothalugala Trail, Deenstone

1250

7

20

17

80

51

8

26.5

10

Forest near Kabaragala

1310

7

27

48

80

43

35

27.5

11

Riverstone (nr. Rattota) nr., TV tower

1270

7

31

25

80

44

14

12

Forest nr. Thilanka's Research Plot

1095

7

31

34

80

44

32

13

Pitawela Pathana

900

7

32

53

80

45

7

29.5

14

Corbett's Gap

1200

7

22

22

80

50

19

15a

Forest by road N of Corbett's Gap

720

7

23

26

80

50

18

15b

At bridge over river

710

7

23

21

80

50

19

During the period of 17-29 May 2004, 8 days were spent in the field and 4 in the laboratory, and approximately (500+?) collections were made. Depending on the speed with which the specimens are distributed and identified, it is hoped to be able to submit a joint paper in 6 to 12 months.

16 May 2004. Messrs Tan and O'Shea were collected from Colombo airport by Prof. Gunatilleke on Sunday 16th May, and travelled south to Sinharaja via Galle and Deniyaya, to stay for 4 nights at a tea plantation bungalow, with straightforward access to Sinharaja Forest (a World Heritage site). From the bungalow were views of the areas we would visit on the next two days.

View NW from bungalow.... ... and NE

 

17 May 2004. (Matara District: south-eastern edge of Sinharaja Forest.) After a vertiginous drive up a zig-zag road above a tea plantation, we stopped first at a Buddhist shrine, alt. 1030 m. to collect by the roadside (locality 1). We then moved further up the track to where the road crossed a river in forest, by a marker 'Enselwatte Estate. Singheraja Di.' (alt. 1025 m), and collected extensively from the rocks and trees by and in the river above the bridge (locality 2). We then drove further (1020 m) to reach a tea plantation (locality 3), and collected by the road and in the tea plantation before entering a wet forest with streams, where most of the collections were made.

Locality 1
Ben Tan collecting by the river (locality 2)
Tea plantation with forest beyond (locality 3)

 

18 May 2004. (Matara District: TV relay station, forest below station and roadside down to 1250 m, at eastern edge of Sinharaja.) Just below the very windy TV station was an area of forest with a number of new taxa (locality 4), and we the followed down the road looking at trees and rocks. Lower down was an area of forest in which cardamom had been planted (Gongala Division, Hayes' Estate), which included a stream, and ended at an area of grassland, which was also investigated (locality 5).
Hump-nosed lizard (Leriocephalus scutatus)

19 May 2004. (Matara District (am) and Galle District (pm) in Sinharaja Forest Reserve, at 285-330 m.) This area of lower montane dipterocarp forest (locality 7), although with easy human access from the south, was well preserved and seemed comparatively rich in bryophytes. It was also the lowest altitude sampled. After walking through the paddy fields, local guides were provided at the Reserve entrance. The southern edge of the forest is bounded by a wide river, and rises steeply into rugged terrain.
Preparing a paddy field

Cattle egrets
Entrance to Sinharaja - Pitadeniya Eco Tourism Zone Ixora sp.

This river was without boulders before the May 2003 floods

20 May 2004. (Ratnapura District, at north east edge of Sinharaja, at around 1015 m, starting from the car park in front of Suriyakande Temple.) (Locality 8) The access road was first investigated, then areas of disturbed forest near the Temple, and on steep slopes below. The most fruitful area was a small disturbed forest by the tea plantation above the stupa. From here we returned to Peradeniya.

Common Kingfisher

21 & 22 May 2004. All specimens were sorted and split into two parts, one to stay in Peradeniya, one to be returned to Dr. B.C. Tan to organise identification (this task to be shared between the two bryologists, with assistance from experts where necessary). There was also the opportunity to visit Dr. Wijesundara at the Royal Botanic Garden, and to visit the herbarium, and the memorials to the two most famous bryologists based at Peradeniya: George Gardner (Director at Peradeniya 1844-1849) and G.H.K. Thwaites (Director, 1849-1880).

Peradeniya Herbarium Gardner Memorial Thwaites Memorial

23 May 2004. Rest day (visit to temples with Asanga Wijetunga).

Embekke Devala Buddhist temple

Lankathileka Vihare

Gladaladeniya Vihare

Temple of the Tooth

24 May 2004. More work in the lab., and presentations by Ben Tan and Brian O'Shea to staff and students of the Botany Department:

Dr. B.C. Tan: An Interactive Malesian Moss Database Project

B.J. O'Shea: Mosses of Sri Lanka and their Geographical Relationships

25 May 2004. (Kandy District, Knuckles mountains, Dothalugala Trail, near Deenstone Forest Office.) (Locality 9.) This was an interesting walk through damp forest with a good selection of taxa not seen in the Sinharaja area.

Knuckles range of mountains Bryologists at work
Trail into forest Lizard

26 May 2004. (Kandy District, Knuckles mountains, forest near Kabaragala, 1000-1470 m.) (Locality 10.) We started with a tree by the main road at Modulkele, but then moved to a rich and varied forest rising from 1300 m to 1470 m, at a boggy area with dwarf forest. We then stopped at about 1000 m to look at boulders and trees in a more open area.
Van driver (blue shirt) avoiding leeches!
Asanga, Pradeep,  Ben (hidden) and Nimal all wearing leech socks.
  Blechnum orientalis Botrychium sp.
Viper Earthstar Star orchid (Phaeus sp.)
Pradeep, Ben Tan, Nimal Gunatilleke, Asanga Wijetunga in dwarf forest at 1470 m. View over forest

27 May 2004. (Matale District, Knuckles mountains, starting at 1270 m at the Information Centre, Knuckles Conservation Forest Area, and then down the north side to 900m.) It was a damp day in low cloud at 1270 m (locality 11), and we then ascended through the mist towards the TV tower. There were more interesting new collections, but the wind towards the top was dangerously strong. We then descended to the north, first looking at an area of forest at 1095 m (locality 12), and then an area of granite pavement with scattered shrubs, and some dryish forest (locality 13). This latter area was very rewarding, having been so far only in wet forest.

Collecting in the mist Cloud covering the tops

 

28 May 2004. This day was spent in the lab., dividing the last 3 days' specimens.
The famous Ficus benjamina tree in Peradeniya RBG

            

29 May 2004. (Kandy District, Knuckles mountains, Corbett's Gap and area to the north, 1200 m down to 700 m.) From Corbett's gap we first went along the track along the ridge going east, and the small hill to the south of the gap (locality 14), and then dropped down to the north of the gap, looking in a patch of forest (locality 15a) and along a river (locality 15b).

View east from Corbett's Gap Anemia sp. (Osmundiaceae)

            

30 May 2004. Messrs Tan and O'Shea depart.

Ben Tan Brian O'Shea