Ecuador
The Northern Oriente
This is rainforest bordering the Amazon basin. Situated near Colombia and Peru is the Cuyabeno Reserve, an area with lakes and swamps. The fish brought ashore is an "arapaima", considered to be the biggest riverfish in existance. It needs to surface for breathing now and then and at that moment is vulnerable to the harpoon of fishermen; getting the fish out of the water into the canoe is hard work.
In the reserve some beautiful bromeliad species abound, especially from the former genus Streptocalyx. For example Aechmea woronowii (above right), looking from a distance like Aechmea beeriana. In other places - e.g Peru - the bracts of this species have a different colour, orange or yellowish. The pictures below represent Aechmea tessmannii, Aechmea penduliflora, having a big inflorescence here contrary to plants of this species in Colombia, and two Aechmea's formerly belonging to the genus Streptocalyx: Aechmea nidularioides and Aechmea longifolia.
