Expedition Narratives and Maps
We traveled up the Burro-Burro River by boat and camped at the C-D transect junction with the river. We continued along the Essequibo River at the southern boundary of the reserve, gathering along 5 km of the Ladysmith Creek transect. The next day we collected along the part of the transect closest to the Siparuni River.
Over the next two days we gathered along the farthest part and in the nearest part of the transect, where a tayra (Eira barbata) was seen. Plants were collected along the first half of the 5 km Akromukru transect perpendicular to the Essequibo River (Figure 3). The camp was moved to an area near Ladysmith Creek and collecting continued along the first 2 km of the transect.
Most of the transect away from the river was dominated by mixed forest on brown sand, although the transect crossed an abandoned road dominated by dense secondary forest. Two transects running north-west and south-east from the Kurupukari–Lethem road near the south-west boundary of the reserve were our next sampling areas. The mixed forest in this part of the reserve had a slightly different composition and perhaps a more seasonal character; Goupia, Vitex, Virola, Ceiba and Cedrela dominated.
As further collections were made along the Kuyuwini River downstream (to the east) of the landing, the team repaired. A camp set up on top of the drainage in the gorge between the highest peaks in the Iwokrama mountains allowed for more effective gathering. For the next five days we split a line and piled on the twin peaks on the south side of the gorge.
We collected in scrub forest on the summit, semi-disturbed "lian" forest on upper slopes, and along the river for several kilometers north of the start of the transect. We have moved our camp inland to a creek at the base of the Acarai Mountains to figure 5. We also have riparian vegetation along the Kamoa River 0–6 km west of camp and on the peaks and slopes of two additional unnamed outcrops of the Kamoa gathered. Mountains 2 km south of camp.
We camped on the north bank of the river near an abandoned farm and relatively close to several outcrops of the Kamoa Mountains. We gathered on an island in the Rewa River above the Bamboes Falls, about 16 km southeast of the Kwitaro River confluence. We then headed back downstream to the confluence of the Rewa and Kwitaro Rivers, where we camped on a sandbar.
We assembled on a small mountain near the camp directly east of the river and along the Rewa River north of the camp figure 8. We assembled in the gorge that separates the highest peaks of the Iwokrama Mountains, 0-3 km southeast of the camp. The lack of rations then forced the party to abandon the journey to the source of the Kassikaityu River.
We started cutting a line towards the outskirts of the Kamoa Mountains and rallied along this route in heavy rain. By May 26, the team was congregating on the summit and slopes of this mountain and in riparian vegetation 0–8 km east of the camp on the Kassikaityu River. We continued up the Kuyuwini River, using low throttle to save fuel, passing Astrocaryum and Inga blocking the channel until we reached the port at the end of the route from Karaudarnau.
We cut a number of steep valleys and reached the lower slopes of the tepui, then moved our camp to the base of Waukauyengtipu and made more collections near the camp. We gathered in the cloud forest near the eastern edge of the mountain and cut a line on top of a 300 m cliff on the eastern edge of the tepui to collect plants on the cliff face. After a trip to Paruima we climbed and gathered at two small tepui: Konuktipu (690 m) 1.5 km south of Paruima and Warimatipu (880 m) 1.5 km north of the village.
We then traveled downstream to the confluence of the Rewa and Kwitaro rivers. We also gathered along the Rewa River between the camp and the confluence of the Rewa with the Rupununi River. We traveled to a point on the river due south of Makarapan Mountain, then carried our supplies 5 miles north of the river to the base of the south side of Makarapan Mountain.
Over the next few days we collected in forest, savanna, and scrub 0–2 km south of camp at the base of the mountain, while continuing to collect on the midslopes and upper slopes below the southern false summit. Reaching the lower slopes of the Acarai Mountains 4 km south of the Sipu River, the team climbed to the top of an unnamed peak 6 km south of the river. Landing at a location 4 km south of the Sipu River, the expedition established a new camp in dense forest on brown sand.
The area near this camp and around a creek at the foot of the high peak was dominated by dense forest on brown sand and granite boulders, with Eperua, Parkia and Sloanea. The camp was moved to the foot of the mountains on August 28, and the next day we began cutting the line across an 840-foot ridge south of the camp, gathering at the top of the ridge. Our cut trail continued along the south side of the 840 meter ridge, reaching a creek at the base immediately north of the massif of the highest peak in the Wassari Mountains.
The soils in the mid-slope area were a deep red clay loam not found in other areas. We continued gathering for several more days at the top of the 1,135 meter peak and between the summit and camp. From this camp we collected 0-0.8 km south of the South Kassikaityu River on a transect starting at 1°38′56.8″N W and heading towards the Wassari Mountains and along the South Kassikaityu River 0- 6 km northeast of the camp and 0-6 km northeast of the camp. –2 km southwest of the camp.
We continued collecting on the edge of the plateau above and at the top of the first of the four slopes. At the top of the first peak (1,008 m above sea level), the soils changed from lateritic clay to white sand and gray sandy clay. The camp was moved to a position by the stream about 1 km from the top of the first bluff.
They then returned to the camp at the base of the summit slope and gathered more near the lower camp. The expedition party moved to a camp at the top of a waterfall at the base of the second slope and gathered in the nearby forest. Heavy rain that night destroyed the tarpaulin over the hammocks, necessitating an evacuation to the camp at the foot of the first slope.
We were forced to evacuate the whitewater camp to a makeshift camp on the first later ridge about 500m west of the river. The camp was moved to the top of a waterfall on an affluent river at the edge of the first plateau and was then moved immediately below the second slope. All supplies and equipment were carried from the airstrip about 500 m to the Bastos mining camp at the lower landing on the Potaro River, and a wooden boat was hired for the entire length of the expedition.
The movement of supplies continued to the site of a future camp at the base of the first of four slopes. Further collections were conducted on the northeast-facing slopes of the first slope in naturally disturbed forest on steep lateritic slopes. The collections were carried out in semi-open, single-layer canopy near the camp and on the edge of the plateau, while line cutting continued to the top of the easternmost peak of the massif.
CeNTRal sURIName NaTURe ReseRve
Collecting Localities
Dense forest on brown sand with Pentaclethra and Mora; roadside vegetation with cecropia, Hamelia and Melastomataceae. Dense forest on brown sandy loam; with Symphonia, Caryocar, Lecythidaceae, Moronobea, Aspidosperma, Pouteria and Cordia nodosa. Disturbed scrubby vegetation at the edge of a cassava field on alluvial soils; dense forest on brown sandy loam, with Mora gonggrijpii and Carapa; the base of the tepui.
Roadside vegetation, rock slope and seasonally flooded dense forest on white sand with Mauritiella, Catostemma, Parinari, Symphonia, Oenocarpus and Eperua. Dense forest on brown sand with Mora, Licania, Pentaclethra, Carapa, Chlorocardium; swamp forest on brown sand with Mora, Carapa, Apeiba. Near lake, seasonally flooded swamp forest on brown sand with rock outcrops, with Eperua, Astrocaryum, Diospyros.
Dense forest in brown sand with Mora, Socratea, Chlorocardium and Nectandra; disturbed forest on rock outcrops with Heliconia and Borreria. Dense forest in brown sand with 'komakaballi', Attalea, Oenocarpus; and disturbed roadside vegetation in laterite with Cecropia, Heliconia and Trema. Savanna vegetation on sandy clay soil with Trachy-pogon, Curatella and Cyperaceae; dense forest on sandy brown clay with Bombax, Ficus and Aspidosperma.
IwOkRama c ollecTions : 2470–2771
Dense forest on brown sand with Socratea, Moron- obea, Apeiba, Cassia and Pithecellobium; low-canopy scrub forest on rock outcrops (with Erythroxylum, Myrtaceae, and Schefflera. Dense forest on brown sand with Socratea, Vochysiaceae, Eschweilera, Bactris, and Eperua; semi-open canopy forest on poorly drained white sand with Mauritiella, Scheelea, and Clusiaceae.Guest forest and riparian vegetation on brown sand with granite outcrops, with Ceiba, Ananas and Combretum.
Dense forest and riparian vegetation on brown sand and granite outcrops; with Ceiba, Pachira and Psidium. Dense forest and riparian vegetation on granite outcrops and brown sand; with Jacaranda, Pithecellobium and Ceiba.
IwOkRama
GeORGeTOwN
Collections by Number
