FIELD TRIP WITH PATRICK BLANC IN NEW CALEDONIA - LE GRAND SUD

We follow Patrick Blanc during his first botanical trip in New Caledonia aka « Le Caillou », this rocky island harboring one of the highest levels of endemism in the plant kingdom. This southernmost part of the island is characterized by the red ultramafic superficial soils so rich in heavy toxic metals like nickel, chromium and cobalt, thus driving the plant evolution towards a resistance to this toxicity as well as facing the recurrent fires and the mining exploitation. Among the different adaptations, the monocaulous small trees with a terminal leaf rosette allow the accumulation of dead leaves falling from the canopy thus creating an aerial humus which releases the useful minerals flowing down along the trunk.
Filmed & produced by Pascal Héni
End credits song "Les Terres Rouges" by Pascal Héni (Philippe Pastor/Pascal Héni), piano : Stéphane Leach
PasPat 2024
Plant list :
Agathis lanceolata, Agathis moorei, Agathis ovata, Araucaria columnaris, Araucaria heterophylla, Araucaria montana, Araucaria subulata, Atractocarpus confertus, Atractocarpus heterophyllus, Basselinia pancheri, Blechnum cf. subcordatum, Blechnum francii, Blechnum obtusatum, Boronia pancheri, Bruguiera gymnorhiza, Caladenia catenata, Calanthe balansae, Callitris pancheri, Chambeyronia divaricata, Cladia retipora, Cladonia confusa, Cleidion vieillardii, Cunonia macrophylla, Cyphokentia macrostachya, Cyphophoenix fulcita, Dacrycarpus vieillardii, Dacrydium araucarioides, Deplanchea speciosa, Didymocheton roseus, Dracophyllum verticillatum, Drosera neocaledonica, Eugenia bullata, Exocarpos neocaledonicus, Fagraea berteroana, Flagellaria neocaledonica, Freycinetia arborea, Freycinetia graminifolia, Gahnia novocaledonensis, Gahnia sieberiana, Garcinia amplexicaulis, Gleichenia dicarpa, Grevillea gillivrayi, Gymnostoma deplancheanum, Joinvillea plicata, Lomandra insularis, Maxwellia lepidota, Melaleuca brongniartii, Melaleuca pancheri, Meryta coriacea, Meryta denhamii, Metrosideros operculata var. francii, Myodocarpus fraxinifolius, Pancheria communis, Pancheria elegans, Pandanus balansae, Pandanus macrocarpus, Pandanus sp., Pandanus tectorius, Peperomia caledonica, Peperomia sp., Phyllanthus cf. aeneus, Planchonella wakere, Plerandra gabriellae, Plerandra pancheri, Polyscias bracteata, Procris pedunculata, Psychotria gabriellae, Retrophyllum minus, Rhizophora stylosa, Richea pandanifolia, Sannantha leratii, Sannantha virgata, Scaevola beckii, Schizaea dichotoma, Serianthes petitiana, Solmsia calophylla, Sticherus flabellatus, Styphelia pancheri, Tabernaemontana cerifera, Thunbergia mysorensis, Tristaniopsis glauca, Xanthostemon ruber

[@edw119]

No words can express the joy you guys bring to us with this botanicals adventures! Tanks you very much.

[@creaturefree]

Merci ! Yes, we try to visit the places in the world where we can find somewhat undisturbed habitats. Unfortunately, less and less preserved habitats...

[@mickeylollar4503]

Truly, thank you so very much for the new video! Where can us fans get some autographed photos to slide in our book?

[@LuiaEkko]

Nice! Always hyped for new videos

[@cactikittyxxtra5218]

Your knowledge is SO IMPRESSIVE!! So glad I found your videos and have enjoyed each one!

[@sidneilobovoador]

My mother and I loved seeing you in the woods, long live botany! Bahia Brasil❤❤❤

[@creaturefree]

Long time we dod bot go to Brasil. Pascal has a lot of images taken 10 years ago but still a lot of work...

[@sidneilobovoador]

@@creaturefree thanks obrigado!!

[@e.s.s8641]

Ooooo, superbe nouvelle aventure avec Patrick et Pascal 🙏

[@creaturefree]

Oui mais maintenant, trois mois sans forêt tropicale et c'est bien long... Heureusement, nous ne sommes pas trop perdus dans Jungle Home.

[@e.s.s8641]

oooo, ta maison est un rêve pour tout amoureux de la jungle. Tellement belle, tout simplement incroyable. ❤

[@eliseolopez2790]

Wow what beautiful ferns to adorn the adventures of humanity in the land of Israel

[@kaminioppenheimer1355]

Wonderful! Spectacular! Thank you so much!

[@creaturefree]

Thanks ! We try our best to find the well preserved areas of tropical countries.

[@eliseolopez2790]

A beautiful collection of fauna

[@juliolopesF]

I love your videos! Tanks! ❤❤❤

[@alorajoelle8380]

I so wish that I could have you as a mentor, and help you deliver splendor!

[@sdqsdq6274]

new caledonia just amaze me , even the reptiles there are unique

[@mathloss8260]

Une nouvelle vidéo!!! Génial. Pourriez-vous nous donner des nouvelles du christarium et du mur végétal?

[@creaturefree]

Tout le petit monde va bien dans notre Home Jungle, qu'il s'agisse des plantes, des lézards ou des oiseaux. Et les 25 000 litres du Christarium hébergent des successions de générations de Cichlidés du Malawi et du Tanganyika qui respectent les Cryptocorynes.

[@mathloss8260]

Content que tout le monde se porte bien. Merci messieurs pour ces vidéos qui sont une mine de connaissances et d'inspiration!

[@Purwapada]

oh so exciting!! thank you for another video! NC is a very exciting place, I hope to go one day. (will you be uploading your trip to cameroon as a video? I would really love to see that one as well) Merci

[@creaturefree]

Sorry, no video about Cameroon since Pascal was not here in last September ; the trip was in order to get more herbarium material for the description of the new Cercestis species (Araceae) that I discovered more than 30 years before in the same Campo area during the Radeau des Cimes expedition in 1991. Maybe we'll come back together in few months to film the habitat of this new Cercestis.

[@Purwapada]

@@creaturefree oh yes I see! I remember the photos of the Cercestis with spiny hanging roots, very interesting! I hope you can go back one day, it should be very nice to see it in habitat along with all the other plants. Thank you Patrick