C.E. Carr’s Orchids from Papua

In order to distribute from the British Museum the remainder of C.E. Carr’s Papua, 1935-36, orchid duplicates it has been necessary first to work out a detailed itinerary of his expedition so as to complete the label data accompanying each specimen. This has been done by reference to the counterfoils of his field label books and to one volume of his diary now at the British Museum. This volume, possibly the only one now remaining after Carr’s untimely death before the end of his expedition, contains entries up to Jan. 19, 1936. Resulting from this investigation the details as given under COLLECTING LOCALITIES, sub-heading S.E. NEW GUINEA in Flora Malesiana I, 1 (1950) 100 should now be replaced by the following. Central Division: From Jan.-Aug. 1935 he worked the lowland country around and to the N.W. of Port Moresby, then to the N.E., collecting mainly at Kanosia (sea-level, Jan., Febr., and April), Veiya (sea-level, March), Rouna (1300 ft, April-July) and Koitaki (1500 ft, April-July); began journey towards the Owen Stanley Range (Aug. 16) travelling via Hailogo (3000 ft, Aug. 31-Sept. 4), thence to the S. slopes of the Range camping at Boridi (4700 ft), the chief village of the Seregina tribe; stayed there (Sept.- Dec.) collecting between 3000-5000 ft. Northern Division: Left Boridi (Dec. 3) for a camp at 6000 ft near Alola on the N. side of the Range, collecting there and at the Lala river (5500 ft) from Dec. 1935 to early Jan. 1936; moved to a subsidiary camp nearer the Gap (8000 ft) to work altitudes up to 10,000 ft (Jan. 12-30); continued down to Isuarava collecting there between 3500-4500 ft and again by the Lala river (5000 ft) and that part of the Yodda river just below Isuarava at 3500 ft (Jan. 31-March 15); at Kokoda (1200 ft, March 17-May 23). Last dated specimen was collected at Fara river (May 24, 1936). Although he had originally intended to do so, Carr never reached Mt Victoria (133367 ft). He considered that the difficulties of carrying and provisioning the expedition up to such a high altitude, together, with the cost, were too great to warrant the journey which he reckoned, when at his camp at the Gap, to be at least four days’ march away. It was also his intention to proceed through from Kokoda to Buna on the N. coast in order to have achieved a coast to coast crossing of New Guinea. As the only diary now available does not cover this period of his expedition it is not possible to say whether the few numbers from Saputa (200 ft), Inapa (500 ft) and Buna (sea-level) (April 5-8, 1936) were actually collected en route by Carr himself, or by his native collectors who frequently brought back specimens when sent out in search of food supplies.