Week one collecting & surveying on the Boso Peninsula

After a slight delay due to the super typhoon whilst in Tokyo, we made it to the University of Tokyo Forest, Chiba. Despite losing a couple of days in the field, we have managed to make some good collections and complete two rapid botanic surveys; one on Mt. Sengen and the other in Godai forest. Some of the highlights from the collecting and surveying were Tricyrtis hirta, Dendropanax trifidus, Cardiandra alternifolia, Torreya nucifera, and Castanopsis sieboldii.

Tricyrtis hirta

In and amongst the collecting, we have also encountered a wide variety of wildlife; Wild boar, Macaques, deer, big spiders and infinite leeches. We have also been lucky enough to see (from a safe distance) a Tiger Keelback snake….

Tiger Keelback snake...

Hisamoto-san (Research Associate UTF Chiba Forest) & Dan Luscombe, Curator, The National Pinetum, Bedgebury 

Cut test to establish seed viability

Eupetelea polyandra voucher 

Today has been spent making a few last collections, with the main part of the day sorting herbarium vouchers, cleaning seed and labelling images. Everything needs to be packed up and loaded into our (not as big as we were hoping) car!! Tomorrow we leave the Boso peninsula and have a five hour drive, heading back up past Tokyo and onto Chichibu.