March 1987, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil... Tony Morrison was looking at Margaret's diaries with a book and television documentary in mind. He had been following her career for 17 years and had been invited to her house in the leafy suburb of Santa Teresa high above Botafogo Bay and the Sugar Loaf. Margaret had been in Rio de Janeiro since August 1968 and over the years had filled a pile of notebooks with records of her Amazon adventures. Each tale she had was wonderfully descriptive but to become a book or television film the notes needed an ending . Tony asked Margaret to think of her greatest ambition and without hesitation she replied that she wanted to paint the flowering of a rare Strophocactus. The cactus was given its name Strophocactus wittii after a German collector, N.H Witt who late in the 19th century was a trader in Manaus, a city almost 1600kms up the Amazon river. The genus has since been renamed Selenicereus after Selene the ancient Greek personification of the moon as a goddess. The cactus is now generally known as Selenicereus wittii. The plant has striking crimson flattened stems that cling to trunks of trees in the flooded forest and has a limited range possibly extending to some Amazon regions of Peru and Colombia

Margaret had seen the cactus on two of her early Amazon journeys but only as the reddened, flattened stems.  Then on another trip in 1982 accompanied by Sue Loram a young British woman who at that time lived in Manaus she found some buds and what seemed to be an opening flower.   "We tried to keep them but they were so wilted they never revived".   To these clues Margaret added places and dates saying at the same time that nobody she had spoken with had known much about the flower.

Margaret agreed that Tony should edit her diaries and set-up a filming project to take her to the Amazon in a search of the flowering.   "It will have to be next year"  she said   "because I need time to recover from my hip operation".   She had just received a second replacement hip during a long visit to England . The delay also allowed for her to divide her notes into 'chapters' and for Tony to discover more about the cactus flowering period. Over the following six months he approached experts in Brasil and around the world.  Margaret knew Bruce Nelson at INPA* the Amazon research institute in Manaus and he provided details of five specimens in the official collection. Reports and advice were culled from other scientists in Britain, Mexico, Sweden, and Germany.  Sue Loram had kept a good account of the flowers she saw in 1982.   Her observations were an essential link as it soon became clear that many botanical details of the flower, its life and rough area of distribution were known but the 'window' for the flowering was not so certain.   One eminent correspondent said he thought  "'it would be very difficult to find it flowering in nature".

The focus of most reports seemed to settle on the Rio Negro where Manaus lies on the northern bank near the confluence with the main Amazon river, the Solimões.   In 1988 Manaus had a population of almost a million and was a major port. The Rio Negro is the major tributary entering from the north and is immense. It is 2080kms long and at Manaus is more than 4kms wide. The annual rise and fall can be as much as 12 meters and the harbour has a famous floating dock built by British engineers in the first decade of the 20th century.  The Negro gets its name from the clear dark water that is totally different to the sediment laden brown of the Solimões coming from the west.   Without nutrients the forest, especially those on sandy soil are not so rich. Some parts are well known for their unique plant diversity and one, the Archipelago of the Anavilhanas the world's largest freshwater archipelago,  is only 8 kms upriver from Manaus.  For half the year the river inundates much of the land but when the water level drops as many as 400 islands dot the river.

Margaret and Sue Loram had been in the Archipelago of the Anavilhanas in April 1982 when they found buds so that seemed to be the place to start. Also from the point of view of logistics it could not be better as Margaret knew a young Brasilian, Gilberto Castro who had a small rustic house on the river bank. Gilberto also owned a boat that his caretaker or caseiro Paulo used to collect him from Manaus.

The archipelago of the Anavilhanas courtesy NASA. The green is the forest. The dark blue is the river that flows from right to left across the picture. The green bands are islands of rock and sand divided by huge areas of flooded forest or igapós

Seen from space Gilberto's house is on the riverbank on the right of the picture. The small town of Novo Airão is on the left side on the southern bank of the river inlet at the edge of the image -the Igarapé Grande

Margaret Mee's Amazon Margaret was 78 and with two replacement hips a short, well timed trip was not only desirable but essential. The basic plan had to be simple. Locate the flower. Check the development of the buds and then take Margaret to the spot for a couple of days.  She was very fit and after fourteen journeys to Amazonia certainly accustomed to the day to day health hazards.

When Tony returned to London he took the idea to the BBC where old colleagues knew of his earlier documentary films. The idea of a midnight flowering coupled with Margaret's long career as an artist produced an immediate and positive response. The fact that the Amazon forests were either burning, being cut down or often both at the same time simply added spice to the story. The project was given the working title of Margaret Mee's Amazon and a promotional folder of sketches , photos and a written outline was created.  While the idea began to take shape as a televison production Tony was working on the book for Nonesuch Expeditions and plans for the journey.

The Plan Changes Early in December 1987 Tony's phone rang at 8.30 am with a personal call from the BBC executive producer saying that the project had been given second thoughts. These were influenced it seems by Margaret's age and the great imponderable - "what was the chance of finding the flower?"   Undeterred Tony talked with a friend in the National Geographic Society, Washington and Steve Burns a producer was sent to Rio de Janeiro to meet Margaret and shoot a test. This attempt also met a dead end just when time was closing for the small team to confirm arrangements especially for the cameraman /director Brian Sewell who was busy with a different international television company every day. So few choices were available and Tony decided to fund a 'pilot project'  from a production account he held with his wife Marion and support from Nonesuch Expeditions.

• Gilberto Castro, Brasilian businessman and conservationist with a passion for the outdoors. He was a member of a Camel Trophy team.
• Sue Loram, Originally from Britain. She first arrived in Manaus via South Africa, Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro to INPA [*]. By 1988 Sue was in Rio de Janeiro as a partner in a specialist restaurant.
• Margaret Mee, Amazon traveller with 14 journeys to her credit totalling about three years on Amazonian rivers.
• Tony Morrison, Writer and film-maker. Studied Zoology at university and began travelling in South America in 1961. He had already travelled extensively in western Amazonia - in Peru and Bolivia and been far along the Rio Negro.
• Paulo Saldanha and his wife Maria. Paulo was Gilberto's caseiro / caretaker at his house beside the Rio Negro. For Paulo the river was his home street. He knew it like the back of his hand.
• Brian Sewell, from Britain had made Rio de Janeiro his home. As an immensely experienced cameraman-director he had worked for most of the world's major television companies. Since 1976 he had covered Brasil from end to end.
• Sally Westminster - Sally Duchess of Westminster. Widow of the Fourth Duke. Sally Westminster had been a friend of Margaret's since the late 1960s. They travelled to the Rio Negro in 1975.

Behind the scenes others helped with communications including George Clarke in Manaus and David Lorimer who was born in Manaus and lived in Santos - another long time friend of Tony and Marion.    Marion Morrison in Britain knew all the locations from past travels and controlled the plan from her desk.

Departure at last

Gilberto and Paulo had prepared the boat the day before and all that was remained to be done was some last minute buying in the market. Sue had a secret recipe she intended to try as a celebration 'if the search is successful' she promised.

The team leaves the hotel. Gilberto Castro is by the door of the VW microvan and Sue Loram is on the right	The nine hour river journey to the house was passed reading, sleeping and talking

A video clip of the departure from the port of São Raimundo in Manaus and the journey up the Rio Negro

WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER REAL PLAYER VIDEO

Margaret Mee and Sue Loram look back to Manaus as the boat heads upriver

The team on the Rio Negro
Margaret Mee listens intently as Gilberto Castro explains the plan	Tony Morrison and Gilberto Castro Photo:Brian Sewell/South American Pictures
Sue Loram and Margaret Mee	Margaret Mee and Sally Duchess of Westminster
Brian Sewell and Margaret Mee	Paulo Saldanha and his wife Maria

The search Paulo had located several trees with the cactus spread on the trunks. The first day began with rain that cleared by 8.30am. The first tree had a plant without flowers, but two more about 45 minutes away from the house had one opened, one wilted flower and two close to opening. Now the question was how many days to opening. One, two or three days was the best guess from the scientific data they had been given so while looking for more plants the decision was taken to try again in 24 hours time. Back at the house Sue was in charge of the kitchen and Sally Westminster took over the chores including washing the dishes. Supper was pacu a local river fish cooked in coconut milk, one of Sue's specialities.

Gilberto Castro and Margaret Mee are followed by his friends Alfredo and Gloria Norris. They helped on the first day of the search	The first plant found by Paulo Saldanha was too high above the water level. The crimson flattened stems were at least 10 feet 3 m above the water. Photo: Brian Sewell for South American Pictures
Sally Westminster[behind], Sue Loram and Margaret Mee find buds in the shade of one of the igapós - the flooded forest	Margaret Mee takes a close look at some buds but they were tightly closed and the place was dark
Video clip of Margaret Mee and Gilberto castro finding a Moonflower cactus
WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER REAL PLAYER VIDEO
The only plant with good light and close to a main waterway / parana was still too high for Margaret Mee to see clearly. Gilberto's boat was used as a floating studio and he lifted Margaret to the roof so she could sketch. While travelling great care had to be taken not to spill food, oil or any other contaminents in the water Photo Brian Sewell / South American Pictures
Margaret Mee standing on the roof looks at the buds to try and select the area she would record in her sketchbook	From a garden chair and with a sketchbook on resting on knee Margaret made meticulous notes of the shape and colour of the plant

The painting Twenty four hours later the boat was loaded with enough food for a couple of days, some blankets and all the film gear. Forty five minutes later and the team was alongside the tree and prepared for dusk. The daylight to dusk change was tropically quick and just as dramatically the flower began to open. The team crowded on to the roof of the boat totally spellbound. The white to pale yellow perianth leaves looking like petals unfurled and one or two seemed to 'click' as they gained freedom. As the filming lights were turned on and Margaret began sketching the flower stopped opening. The light had interrupted the mechanism so lower powered hand held battery lights were tried and the flower continued to open. It was more difficult for Brian but Margaret could see her sketchpad. The light from an almost full moon helped everyone to move around.

Margaret Mee sketched the opening flower by the light of hand held torches	All the stages of the opening and closing were sketched. Details of the colours had to wait until daylight
By midnight the flower was fully open	Sue Loram and Gilberto Castro are entranced
Brian filmed Margaret Mee while she sketched the plant in daylight. The flower had wilted and all she needed were the colours of the flattened stems and details of the the unopened buds
The sketch was made 'by eye' and Margaret had the technical skill to keep the proportions exact. The plants was not touched, measured or handled in any way	After making the outline Margaret Mee then used water based colour to match the shades of the plant. Once again she had perfected the skill to use her 'eye' for comparing the delicate tones

Margaret sketched during the night only finishing at 3am but none of the team had any sleep. The dawn was coming. With the light the perianth leaves began to close and by 8am the flower had wilted. The flower had lived up to its name of Selenicereus.

The Moonflower is named On the return journey from the final painting trip Tony, Margaret and Sally chatted about the book and the cover. A deadline loomed for the book and it was decided that Tony would write the story as Journey Fifteen in Margaret's style while she painted the artwork for the cover . They decided that the painting needed certain elements:  the flower, the forest and the moon.  These elements had to be set within the page to allow for space for the title.   "You must call it  'The Moonflower'" said Sally.  "It's the only title. Especially after last night".  The final artwork was left in Margaret's hands.

So success at last. Back at the house it was time for champagne and the special treat made by Sue from cupuaçu a delicious tropical fruit she had 'smuggled' aboard from the market in Manaus . "I knew we would have something to celebrate."   It was close to Margaret's 79th birthday. The next day the team began to go their separate ways.   Margaret, Sue and Sally remained at the house for a few days more perhaps accepting that it could be their last visit.

Brian Sewell waves a goodbye to Margaret, Sue and Sally Westminster

Paulo took Gilberto, Tony and Brian to Manaus. They arrived in the port at 10pm and Brian caught the first flight to Rio de Janeiro. Tony took a midnight flight to São Paulo from where messages about the success were sent around the world. Sue Loram, Margaret and Sally Westminster stayed a couple of extra days at Gilberto's house. They visited the nearby igapós and Sue and Margaret paddled a small canoe to the place where they had found a Selenicereus / 'Moonflower' cactus six years earlier.

Sally Westminster had to return to London and Margaret and Sue wanted to spend a few more days in the forest. The three friends asked Paulo to take them downriver to Manuas where Sally could catch a flight, firstly to Brasilia the capital to stay overnight with the British Ambassador and his wife before heading for home via Rio de Janeiro. Sue, Margaret and Paulo went back to the port and began their journey upstream

The Final Moments in the Amazon Forest
One of a series of short stories from Sue's long, close friendship with Margaret Mee	Sue Loram Remembers..
'At nearly 79 Margaret's senses were incredibly sharp for a person of her age. Sitting in a canoe her eyes could spot a rare plant species at the top of a tree, she could hear birds and forest creatures before anyone else and she could feel a change in the air long before a storm hit, which was a godsend when we were paddling in a tiny canoe with just an empty coconut shell cut in two as a bailer. But perhaps her sharpest sense was when danger was approaching, and nothing illustrates this better than an incident which happened on our way back up the Rio Negro after having taken Sally Westminster to Manaus on 10th May.'
'It was dusk in the Arquipelago das Anavilhanas. Gilberto's ancient riverboat had a very noisy inboard motor and our pilot Paulo, who is blind in one eye, decided that he could navigate by the stars much better if we put out the oil lamps. Neither Margaret or I objected to this as it was a very clear night. We were travelling in mid channel and could make out the flooded islands of the arquipelago on our left and the distant river bank on our right. I asked Margaret if we had passed the entrance to the Rio Cuieiras, she wasn't sure but said this was one of the widest stretches of the arquipelago. I decided not to ask Paulo as he was concentrating so hard on the stars and navigation. Some time passed and I must have nodded off to sleep because Margaret suddenly jerked my arm. It was pitch black and the weather had changed. She threw a torch into my hand and screamed " Sue shine this straight ahead of the boat NOW" I hardly had time to do so when the beam landed on a large shape hurtling downstream straight for us on a collision course. - I screeamed at the top of my lungs in pure fright and Paulo immediately on seeing the boat steered sharp right and missed the hurtling boat by a matter of inches. The look of horror on the faces of the many occupants caught in the beam of the torch for a fraction of a second as the other, considerably larger, river boat sped by is something that I will never forget. There were no lamps on this boat either, a common practise when the night sky was clear. Margaret was the only one on board who heard something, or rather sensed something, above the terrible racket of the inboard motor. Her quick reaction had saved not only our lives but probably the lives of the folk in the other boat. It is very doubtful that, had the boats collided and sunk, there would have been any survivors in such a strong river current plus the fact that terra firma was so distant and it was pitch black. After we had calmed down and put all the oil lamps back on Margaret quietly said " I know my time is not up yet. I still have far too much left to do"
The Last photograph of Margaret Mee in the Amazon forest The air was still and utterly alone they were surrounded by the myriad sounds of the wilderness.... Sue Loram took this photograph and it is the very last picture of Margaret Mee in the Amazon forest. When she sent this photo to Tony Morrison soon after Margaret's death she wrote on the back 'Don't you think she has "When will I be able to return" written on her face...!'
To return to the beginning of the story

Back in Rio de Janeiro By lucky coincidence Sally Westminster arrived from Brasilia at Rio's Galeão International Airport as Tony was leaving for London. They had time for a cafezinho - coffee and brief swap of memories. Margaret and Sue arrived a few days later and went their separate ways to work. Margaret began a rough sketch for the cover of the book. The placing of the flowers, the moon and water had to allow for the title and credits. This was sent to Tony for approval before she began work on the painting. The composition was just as they had planned and so she began the final painting in June.

The rough sketch, unsigned, on Fabriano 2 paper June 1988

Margaret finished the Moonflower in her studio in Rio de Janeiro and it was carried by hand to London and arrived on July 5th.

The Moonflower

Presented by courtesy of Nonesuch Expeditions

Brasil, 1989, A year after her death

Em busca das Flores da Floresta Amazônica

A Portuguese translation of the original book published in Rio de Janeiro by Salamandra Consultoria Editorial S/A. The Moonflower is featured on the jacket cover

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TO RETURN TO     THE MAGIC OF THE MOONFLOWER

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'I know my death will not be the end of my work. Wherever I go I will try to influence those who are destroying our planet, so the earth will have a chance to survive'      Margaret Mee in Brazil, 1988