Editing Johannesteijsmannia altifrons (section)

===General:===
Sometimes the reality of actually seeing
what we have been reading, and perhaps
seen pictures about, has an impact beyond
the wildest expectation. After all, reality
is the ultimate make-believe.
A few years ago I had the pleasure and the
discomfort of walking about the
rainforest of southern Thailand near the
Malaysian border. It is the sort of jungle which,
on the Malaysia side of the border, gets
cleared and replaced with the Oil Palm,
''Elaeis guineensis'', and, on the Thailand
side, with the Rubber Tree,
''Hevea brasiliensis''.
One of the many palms growing in
this area I had particularly come to see
was ''Johannesteijsmannia altifrons'' which
previously I could only admire in a few
old black and white photographs.

We walked for a long time through rubber
plantations, through freshly cleared
rugged areas and to the edge of the forest
where felling of trees and burning was in
progress and then through maybe 5 or 6
kilometres of virgin unmolested forest
resplendent with lush vegetation, wetness,
leeches and humid heat. Walking along
stopping here and there to admire the
many special sights we finally got there
for, coming around a bend of a steep
mountain slope, we saw a not so densely
wooded area full of ''Johannesteijsmannia''
palms. The first feeling upon seeing these
magnificent plants was one of awe; but,
also, a feeling of seeing something
perhaps like a dinosaur that does not belong
in our time anymore: a relic of times long
past. The leaves of ''J. altifrons'' measure
from a trunkless bottom to a top of 4 to 5
metres diamond-shaped simple leaf of
which more than half is pleated: a truly
magnificent sight!

Generally, palms and other plants in the
wild are often chewed, frazzled and
soiled giving a messy appearance.
''J. altifrons'', however, can at times look almost
untouched by the elements, aloof and
majestic like a symbol of an era gone. I felt
very privileged to have seen these still
living "dinosaurs" and the question arose,
looking at these plants, is whether there
will be any such wonder left for our next
generations or will we soon have traded
such a wonderful sight for new car tyres?

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[[File:Johannesteijsmannia_altifrons03.jpg|frame|Figure 2. ''J. altifrons'' at Baku, Sarawak.]]
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[[File:Johannesteijsmannia_altifrons02.jpg|frame|Figure 3. ''J. altifrons'' at Baku, Sarawak.]]
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[[File:Johannesteijsmannia_altifrons04.jpg|frame|Figure 4. ''J. altifrons'' in habitat, Sarawak, Borneo.]]
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