Original Plants

[stucody]

I would like to use the natrual plants from the islands from where cresty's come from.

Does anyone know the names of these plants and are they easily avaliable?

Phil

[munchi]

"Physical isolation, contrasting soils, and a wide range in elevations have produced a rich indigenous flora. Terre rouge soils support a number of sclerophyllic (drought-resistant) shrubs with spectacularly coloured flowers. Different forms of rainforest range from those growing on coral platforms, as in the Loyalty Islands, to montane forests above 3,000 feet (900 metres) on the main island. The savanna woodlands of the west coast are characterized by stands of niaouli, or cajeput trees (Melaleuca quinquenervia), which are highly fire-resistant and tend to dominate landscapes that have been cleared by bushfires. Although the niaouli grows best in wet soils up to an elevation of 2,000 feet (610 metres), it also extends onto well-drained slopes and crests and forms the main species in the closed swamp forests of the Diahot valley. Dry sclerophyll forests, dominated by the guaiacum (Acacia spirorbis), were once widespread at low elevations on the west coast. Mangrove swamps proliferate on the highly indented west coast. One woodland species, Amborella trichopoda, has become of great scientific interest as a possible link between gymnosperms and angiosperms (coniferous and flowering plants)."

i got that from the online britanica. im going to google it.

[crazycresteds]

Birds nest fern is an option also. They come from evergreen forests, but we know that evergreens are out of the question . Besides the trees, there are a lot of big tree like ferns on New Caledonia, so maybe smaller viv sized ferns would be better.

You won't get a lot more than the bird's nest and maybe a couple species of orchids that come from there, don't worry, I've tried already. Remember, 80 something percent of all plant species are endemic to N.C. , so you won't find a lot of anything.