a review on spiranthoideae genera in arunachal pradesh

Bulletin of Arunachal Forest Research 27 (1&2) : 1-33, 2011.

A REVIEW ON THE SUBFAMILY SPIRANTHOIDEAE DRESSLER

(ORCHIDACEAE) IN ARUNACHAL PRADESH

A. Nageswara RaoState Forest Research Institute,P.B.-159, Itanagar-791111

Arunachal Pradeshe-Mail : [email protected]

Abstract

Following the classifi cation of family Orchidaceae proposed by D.L.Szlachetco (1995), the subfamily Spiranthoideae Dressl. is represented by 43 species of 12 genera in Arunachal Pradesh. Among the 12 genera, Goodyera is the largest with 13 species followed by Zeuxine (8 spp.), Cheirostylis (6 spp.) and Odontochilus (5spp.). 3 genera viz. Anoectochilus, Erythrodes and Rhomboda are represented by 2 species each while the remaining 5 genera viz. Chamaegastrodia, Herpysma, Hetaeria, Myrmechis and Spiranthes are represented by 1 species each in the state. A taxonomic account is provided in the paper for all the 43 species including identifi cation keys for genera and species, description and distribution details.

INTRODUCTION

Based on a 12-year long critical study on the morphology and anatomy of the reproductive struc-tures of about 3,500 species of orchids belonging to about 750 genera, D.L. Szlachetco has reclassifi ed the Order Orchidales in 1995. As per his classifi cation, the subfamily Spiranthoideae Dressl. comprises of 3 tribes, 10 subtribes and about 105 genera(Table.1).

Table.1: Classifi cation of Subfamily Spiranthoideae

Tribe SubtribeTotal

generaGenera in Arunachal

Goodyereae K i n g e t Pantl.

Goodyerinae Klotz.

27Erythrodes; Goodyera; Herpysma ;

Ludisiinae Szlac.

4Chamaegastro-dia;Odontochilus

Cheirostylii-dinae Szlac.

9

Anoectochilus; Che i ros ty l i s ; Hetaeria; Myr-mechis ; Rhom-boda ; Zeuxine

Spirantheae Endl.

Prescottiinae Dressl.

8 -

Spiranthinae Lindl.

27 Spiranthes

Stenorrhyn-chidinae Szlac.

13 -

Cyclopogoni-nae Szlac.

7 -

Manniellinae Schltr.

1 -

Pachyplec-troninae Schltr.

1 -

Cranichideae Endl.

Cranichidi-nae Lindl.

8 -

Among the orchids reported so far from Arunachal Pradesh, 43 species of about 12 genera belong to the subfamily Spiranthoideae. Here, I have added one genus Rhomboda Bl. which was reinstated by Ormerod (1995) to the list under subtribe Chei-rostylidinae Szlach.

Most of the orchid species of Spiranthoideae especially of the genera like Anoectochilus, Goodyera,

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SPIRANTHOIDEAE DRESSLER IN ARUNACHAL PRADESH

Macodes, Zeuxine etc. are popularly known as ‘Jewel orchids’ by orchid growers due to the attractive colours and ornamentation on the leaves.

All the 43 species recorded so far from Arunachal Pradesh are enumerated below along with identifi ca-tion keys and descriptions. Plates of line drawings and colour photos for selected species are also provided.

Key to the Genera

1a. Roots usually scattered on the rhizome. Pollinia sectile……….………… 21b. Roots tuberous, elongate, in a cluster at the base of the stem; pollinia soft and mealy……..…….. Spiranthes 2a. Stigmatic area one……….…..………………. 32b. Stigmatic areas two… ……..….…………… 63a. Plants saprophytic without any green leaves; underground rhizome branched …….…. Chamaegastrodia3b. Plants autophytic with green leaves; rhizome or prostate stem simple ..….…. 44a. Lip saccate at base with villi inside ..……………...………..…..….……. Goodyera4b. Lip with a long cylindric spur at base, without any villi inside……………… 5 5a. Lip with 3-lamellae on the disc; spur long and slender ………..…..... Herpysma5b. Lip without lamellae or ridges on the disc; spur short and fat…....... Erythrodes 6a. Flowers non-resupinate ………......….. Hetaeria6b. Flowers resupinate……..…...…...…...……… 77a. Creeping stem succulent, noded at short intervals; roots very short, hairy,arranged in a circle or ridge below the internode ...…………..…………. 87b. Creeping stem fl eshy, noded at distant intervals;roots long, produced solitarily from the node………………..…… 9 8a. Sepals free or connate at base only …………………..…….. Myrmechis 8b. Sepals connate more than half of the length to form a tube .….…Cheirostylis9a. Mesochile of lip with long fringed or toothed margins ..…….……………….. 109b. Mesochile of lip with entire margins………...………………………….. 11

10a.Mesochile of lip with long fringes; hypochile spurred….....………. Anoectochilus10b. Mesochile of lip toothed or shortly fringed; hypochile saccate…....…Odontochilus 11a. Hypochile of lip with medial bicarinate callus in addition to basal callii inside; with fl anges on exterior surface…... Rhomboda 11b. Hypochile without bicarinate callus except basal calli ; no fl anges on exterior surface …........................... Zeuxine

1. SPIRANTHES L.C. Rich.[Orch. Eurpo. Annot. 20. 1817. Nom. Cons.]

Terrestrial herbs. Roots tuberous. Leaves narrow, basal of fugaceous. Flowers small, spirally arranged on glandular hairy spike, partly opening. Sepals subequal, free or connate at base; dorsal with petals forming a hood. Petals narrower. Lip simple or 3-lobed, with 2 calli at base, crisped at apical margins. Column short, with elongate forked rostellum. Pollinia 2, clavate, deeply cleft.

The genus consists of about 30 species distrib-uted through out the world except in Africa. In India two species are reported. From Arunachal Pradesh only one species is reported so far.

Spiranthes sinesis (Pers.) Ames, Orch. 2 : 53. 1900; Biswas in Ind. For. Rec. 3(1) : 50. 1940. Neottia sinensis Pers. Syn. Pl. 2 : 511. 1807. Spiranthes australis (R.Br.) Lindl. : Hk. f. Fl. Brit. Ind. 6 : 102. 1890; Burkill in Rec. Bot. Surv. Ind. 10 (1) : 380. 1924. S. lancea sensu A.S. Rao et Deori in Ind. J. For. 3 (3) : 334. 1980; Hegde in Arun. For. News 3 (3) : 3. 1980.

Erect terrestrial herbs growing in open grass lands in association with Zeuxine spp. at elevations at ranging from 200 – 3000 m.

Plants 15 – 30 cm tall. Roots 3 cm long, tuber-ous; narrowly fusiform, sparsely covered with white hairs. Leaves 3-6 x 0.3-0.7 cm, linear-lanceolate, acute, subradical, sessile. Scape long, slender, with 1-3 sterile bracts at long intervals. Spike terminal, dense, spirally twisted, many fl owered, puberulous. Flowers small, secundus, white, variously tinged with purple, with glandular pubescent green swollen ovaries. Bracts 5 x 2 mm, longer than the ovary, ovate-lanceolate,


acuminate, glandular pubescent. Sepals 4.0 x 1.5 mm, ovate-oblong, subacute, 3-nerved, sparsely gland dotted; the dorsal adherent with petals forming a hood over the column. Petals 3.5 x 1.0 mm, oblong, obtuse, 1-nerved, sparsely gland dotted. Lip 4 x 2 mm, saccate at the base with 2 calli within, constructed about the middle, crisped at apical half margins, glandular hairy on the apical half disc. Column 2 mm long, anther short, 2-celled; pollinia 2, clavate, attached to an elliptic viscidium; rostellum erect, forked; stigmatic surface single, ventral.

Flowering : February – March.

Occurrence : West kameng district, Tipi (200 m), A.N. Rao 7726, Hegde 1725; Dirang, A.N.Rao 21740. Towang district : Low village (2800 m), A.N. Rao 16130; Towang (3000m) Hegde 3210 (Orchid Herbarium, Tipi). Papumpare district, Tarajuli, Hegde 3582 (Orchid Her-barium, Tipi). L. Subansiri district, Hapoli, Sastry 44833; Palin-Nyapin, Sastry 45453 (AS-SAM). Tirap district, Khonsa (1500 m), A.N. Rao 13497-13503 (Orchid Herbarium, Tipi).

Distribution : India ( Widely distributed throughout the country ) , Burma, Nepal, China, Tibet, Java, Malaya, Sumatra, Borneo, Thailand, Philippines, Newzeland, Australia.

2. CHAMAEGASTRODIA Mak. et Maek.[in Bot. Mag. XLIX (585) : 596. 1935. Evrardia Gagnep. In Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris ser. 2(4) :

596. 1932 (non Evrardia Adans, 1763)].

Small saprophytic herbs. No roots. Under-ground rhizome branched, sparsely covered with hyaline scales. Spike with tubular sheaths. Flowers non-resupinate. Lip with bilobed epichile, rudi-mentary fl anged mesochile and 2-glanded saccate hypochile. Column short, erect; rostellum simple or forked, short or protruding beyond the anther cap; stigmatic lobes 2, lateral, free or fused along the inner margins to become one; appendages 2, ventral, erect.

The genus consists of about 6 species distrib-uted in India, China, Yunnan, Japan, Thailand and Vietnam. From India only two species viz. C. asraoa (a new species from Meghalaya) and C. shikokiana

(from Arunachal Pradesh) are reported so far.

Chamaegastrodia shikokiana (Makino) Makino et Maekawa in Bot. Mag. XLIX (585) : 596. Pl. II. Figs. 4-7. 1935.

Small saprophytic herb growing on humus forest fl oor in subtropical evergreen forest at an elevation of about 6000 feet.

Stem about 8 cm long, pinkish, with 2 tubular sheaths at distant interval. Underground rhizome branched. Spike terminal, 4 or 5 fl owered. Flowers about 6 mm long, non-resupinate. Bract ovate-acute, spreading. Petals about 3 x .5 mm, linear, 1-nerved. Lip about 4 mm long, orange coloured, T-shaped; epichile bilobed; lobes squarish, undulate at margin; mesochile short, oblong; hypochile globular, 2-gland-ed inside. Column short, with 2 crescent appendages infront; stigma single, transverse; rostellum simple.

Flowering : August.

Occurrence : W. Kameng district : Munna camp, A.N. Rao 26100 (Orchid Herbarium, Tipi).

Distribution : India ( Arunachal Pradesh) and Japan.

3. GOODYERA R.Br.[In Aiton, Hort. Kew. Ed. 2. 5 : 197. 1813]

Terrestrial. Leaves green or violet green, often reticulate veined or variegated with white, petioled, sheathing at base. Flowers small glabrous or hispid. Petals coherent with dorsal sepal forming a hood over the column. Lip with saccate hypochile and straight or recurved epichile; hypochile with or without villii inside. Stigmatic surface 1, ventral.

This is a genus of about 40 species distributed in temperate Eurasia, Tropical Asia to Australia.About 15 species are found in India of which 13 species are reported so far from Arunachal Pradesh.

Key to the species

1a. Lateral sepals spreading ……....……….….. 21b. Lateral sepals not spreading ………....……… 32a. Leaves ovate, cordate, few, clustered at base ……....... …. … G. viridifl ora2b. Leaves elliptic, many, distantly arranged on stem……………..…..………….4

3

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3a. Plants upto 100 cm tall; leaves 15-25 cm long; fl oral bract shorter than the ovary …..…………………G. fumata3b. Plants upto 60 cm tall; leaves upto 10 cm long; fl oral bract longer than the ovary ...…..…..…G. grandis4a. Flowers more than 2 cm long;sepals and petals with long acuminate tips... G. bifl ora4b. Flowers less than 1.5 cm long; sepals and petals with acute tips ....…..…………… 55a. Saccate hypochile of lip without villi inside ……………….………………… 65b. Saccate hypochile of lip with many villi inside…………………………………… 8 6a. Infl orescence curved to horizontal position …………………….. …..G. recurva6b. Infl orescence erect ……………….…………. 77a. Hypochile of lip glabrous in side, Concealed by lateral sepals ………. G. repens7b. Hypochile of lip 2 ridged inside; projecting beyond the bases of lateral sepals ……………………….. G. fusca8a. Sepals without hair out side (or with very few); epichile of lip very short, obtuse …….. …….G. procera8b. Sepals hairy out side; epichile of lip elongate, oblong, acuminate……..………9 9a. Petals connate at apical margins ……G. vittata 9b. Petals free (coherent only) …………………. 1010a. Leaves green, undulate at margins, not reticulated …………….......……G. folisa 10b.Leaves reticulated with white or pink veins or mottled, not undulate ……... 1111a. Epichile of lip with 2 prominent lamellae on disc.……..…. G. schlectandaliana 11b. Epichile of lip without any lamellae on disc ……………………………..1212a. Leaves lanceolate, fl ushed with white and pink; epichile of lip without basal lobes ………………………..G. hispida12b.Leaves ovate, reticulated with white veins; epichile of lip with 2 short teeth like side lobes …….…….G. hemsleyana

1. Goodyera viridifl ora (Bl.) Bl. Coll. Orch. Arch. Ind. 41. T. 9. 1858; A.N. Rao in S.P. Vij (ed.) Biol. Cons. Cult. Orch. : 326. 1986; Neottia viridifl ora Bl.

Bijrd. 415. 1825.

Small terrestrial herbs growing on rich humus soil in subtropical wet evergreen forest at an altitude of about 2000 m.

Plants decumbent, upto 15 cm tall. Rhizome creeping, fl eshy, ca. 3 mm in econdu, producing solitary roots at nodes. Leaves upto 5, 2-7 x 1-3 cm, cordate, acute, with long petioles, clasping the stem with sheathing bases fl eshy, glaucous. Scape 5 cm long, pubescent, with 2 or 3 lanceolate sterile bracts at intervals. Spike terminal, 2 or 3 fl owered, lax. Flowers 2 cm long, green tinged with pink, glabrous. Bracts 1.5 x 0.5 cm, ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, longer than the ovaries. Sepals 9-12 x 4-5 mm, ovate-lanceolate, acute, acuminate, 1-nerved, glabrous. Petals 11 x 4 mm, oblanceolate, acute, 2 or 3-nerved. Lip 10 x 7 mm, ovate, acute; hypochile saccate, with many villi within; epichile oblong, acute defl exed. Column 8 mm long; anther lanceolate, acuminate, 2-celled. Rostel-lum forked with long slender parallel arms.

Flowering : April.

Occurrence : West Kameng district : Visaki – Tsela, A.N. Rao 16122 (Orchid Herbarium, Tipi). Subansiri district : Saling, Sastry 42198 (AS-SAM).

Distribution: India ( W. Himalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland), Nepal, Bhutan, China, Taiwan, Phillippines, Ryukyu, Malaya, Sumatra, Java, Celebes, Borneo, New Guinia, Thailand, Samoa.

2. Goodyera fumata Thw. Enum. Zeyl. Pl. : 314. 1864; Hk. f. Fl. Brit. Ind. 6 : 111. 1890; King et Pantl. In Ann. Roy. Bot. Gard. Calcutta 8 : 284. Pl. 377. 1898; A.N. Rao in S.P. Vij (ed.) Biol. Cons. Cult. Orch. : 326. 1986. & in J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 85 (2) : 459. 1988.

Tall terrestrial herb found growing on humus covered forest fl oor near water streams in association with Herpysma orchid in wet evergreen subtropical forest at 1100 metre MSL.

Plants upto 100 cm tall. Stem decumbent, with many leaves throughout. Leaves upto 30 x 10 cm, obliquely elliptic, acute-acuminate, long petrioled,

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sheathing at base, with branched midvein. Infl ores-cence terminal spike; peduncle with 2 or 3 sterile bract at distant intervals. Flowers many, about 1 cm long, resupinate, horizontal from the axis, hairy on ovary and perianth. Bracts about 4 mm long, shorter than the ovary, hairy out side. Dorsal sepal 7 x 4 mm, ovate-oblong, acute, recurved, adherent with petals, 3-nerved. Lateral sepals 8 x3.5 mm, lanceolate, acute, refl exed, 3-nerved. Petals 7 x 2 mm, oblong-oblanceolate, acute, 1-nerved. Lip 4 mm long but when epichile spread out 7 mm long and 3 mm at base; hypochile saccate, with many villi inside; epichile 4 mm long, linear-oblong, coiled back. Column 4 mm long, elongate, broader at tip; anthe cap 1 x 1 mm; stigma triangular, ventral; rostellum triangular, forked at apex. Ovary 5 mm long, densely hairy, ellipsoid.

Flowering : August.

Occurrence : West Kameng district : Sessa, A.N. Rao (Orchid Herbarium, Tipi).

Distribution : India ( W. Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh, Kerala, Orissa), Sri Lanka, Yunnan, Tonkin, Taiwan, Thailand, Ryukyus, Phillippines, Japan.

3. Goodyera grandis King & Pantl. In Ann. Roy. Bot. Gard. Calcutta 8 : 284. Pl. 379. 1898; Burkill in Rec. Bot. Surv. Ind. 10(1) : 380. 1924.

This species has been reported from Abor Hills, the present W. siang district of Arunachal Pradesh by I. H. Burkill (loc. Cit.).

No specimen available for the author in the local herbaria for study.

4. Goodyera bifl ora (Lindl.) Hook. F. Fl. Brit. India 6 : 114. 1890; A.N. Rao in S.P. Vij (ed.) Biol. Cons. Cult. : 326. 1986. Georchis bifl ora Lindl. Gen. & Sp. Orch. 496. 1840. Goodyera macrantha Maxim. In Fl. Des. Serres. 2(6) : 113. 1867.

Terrestrial herb found growing in moist leaf litter of subtropical forest at an altitude ranging from 2000 – 3000 m.

Stem upto 10 cm tall. Leaves 1-3 x 0.5-2 cm, upto 7 in number, ovate, acute, pinkish-green beneath and deep green above with white reticulate veins, peti-oled, sheathed at base. Raceme short, 3 to 6 fl owered;

rachis puberulous. Flowers econd, pinkish-white. Bracts 14 x 5 mm, ovate, acuminate, 3-5 nerved, longer than the ovary, sparsely gland dotted. Sepals 20 x 4 mm, linear-lanceolate, acuminate, 3-5 nerved, sparsely gland dotted. Petals 20 x 2.5 mm, connate along with the inner margins of the distal halves, oblanceolate, 3-nerved, gland dotted, slightly incurved at the apical margins. Lip 16 x 3 mm, lanceolate, long acuminate, saccate at base with many villii within.Column 11 x 1.5 mm; anther cap hinged at the base, ovate-lanceolate, 2-celled; pollinia 2, ca. 2 mm long, caudicle ca. 9 mm long, brittle; viscidium ca. 4 mm, longer than pollinia, linear-elliptic; rostellum long, slender, forked. Ovary ca. 11 x 1.5 mm, twisted, puberulous.

Flowering : April – May.

Occurrence : West Kameng district : Selari-Bomdila. Rolla Rao 53989; Hajra 54875 (ASSAM).

Distribution : India ( Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh), Nepal.

Note : This largest fl owered species of the genus is very attractive when it is cultivated in large numbers in the beds. Decayed leaf litter is a good manure.

5. Goodyera recurva Lindl. in J. Linn. Soc. 1 : 283. 1857; Hk. f. Fl. Brit. Ind. 6 : 112. 1890; Hegde et A.N. Rao in Ind. Journ. For. 7 : 77. 1984.

Small terrestrial herb found growing on moss covered rocks and on Rhododendron tree trunks in association with small grass at about 7000 feet MSL

Plants 8-15 cm tall. Stem decumbent; prostate stem with long internodes and solitary roots at nodes; erect stem leafy. Leaves 3-5 x 0.5-1.0 cm, about 7-9, lanceolate, acute, petioled. Infl orescence recurved to horizontal position. Flowers small, secundus. Bract upto 9 mm long, lanceolate, longer than the fl owers. Dorsal seapl 3 x 1.5 mm, ovate-oblong, acute, cucul-late with lateral petals, 3-nerved. Lateral sepals 3.5 x 1.0 mm, ovate-lanceolate, acute. Petals 3 x 1 mm, oblanceolate, subacute, coherent at tips. Lip 3.5 x 2 mm, ovate, acuminate; hypochile saccate, 5-ridged inside; epichile oblong, obtuse. Column short, erect, stigma surrounded by on narrow lamina.

Flowering : August.


Occurrence : West Kameng district : Bomdila, A.N. Rao 4467; Eagle Nest, A.N. Rao (Orchid Her-barium, Tipi).

Distribution : Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh. (En-demic to India).

6. Goodyera repens (L.) R.Br. in Ait. Hort. Kew. Ed 2. 5 : 198. 1813; Hook f. Fl. Brit. India 6 : 111. 1890; King et Pantl. In Ann. Roy. Bot. Gard. Calcutta 8 : 279. Pl. 370. 1898; Kataki et al. in Pl. Cons. Bull. 5 : 33. 1984; A.N. Rao in SP. Vij (ed.) Biol. Cons. Cult. Orch. : 326. 1986; Satyrium repens L. Sp. Plant. Ed. 1, 2 : 945. 1753.

Small terrestrial herbs growing on the rich humus in evergreen forest fl oor at an elevation of above 3000 m.

Plants 12 cm tall. Leaves 1-2 x 0.7-1.2 cm, ovate, acute, close together, sheathed and clasping the stem at base. Scape 7 cm long, with 2 or 3 lin-ear sterile bracts at short intervals, glabrous. Raceme short, econd; rachis pubescent. Flowers 1 cm long, white tinged with pink. Bracts 7 x 2 mm, lanceolate, acuminate, longer than the ovary, 1-nerved. Sepals 4.0-4.5 x 1.5-2.0 mm, ovate, acute, 1-nerved, lateral sepals little broader than the dorsal. Petals 4 x 1 mm, narrowly oblong, slightly broader towards apex, obtuse to acute, erose, dentate at distal margins, 1-nerved. Lip 4 x 2 mm, ovate, acute; hypochile large, saccate, naked within; epichile ovate-oblong, acute, concave, slightly defl exed. Column 3 mm, short; anther cap ovate, acute; rostellum forked at tip; pollinia 2, at-tached to an oblong gland.

Flowering : November.

Occurrence : West Kameng district : Shangrila-Senge, A.S. Rao 49611. Subansiri district : Sastry 42139 (ASSAM).

Distribution : India (Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Asssam ), Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Europe, N. Asia, N. America, Tibet, Burma, China, Japan.

7. Goodyera fusca (Lindl.) Hk. f. Fl. Brit. Ind. 6 : 112. 1890; King & Pantl. In Ann. Roy. Bot. Gard. Calcutta 8 : 280. T. 371. 1898; Kataki et al. in Pl.

Cons. Bull. 5 : 33. 1984. Antheria fusca Lindl. Gen. Sp. Orch. 491. 1840.

Kataki et al. (loc.cit) reported this species from Arunachal Pradesh without exact locality. No speci-men available for author’s study in the local Herbaria.

Distribution : India ( Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh ), Nepal, Tibet, Burma.

8. Goodyera procera (Ker-Gawl.) Hook. Exot. Fl. 1 : 3. T. 39. 1823; Burkill in Rec. Bot. Surv. India 10(1) : 380. 1924; Biswas in Ind. For. Rec. 3(1) : 51. 1940; R.S. Rao et Joseph in Bull. Bot. Surv. Ind. 7 : 152. 1965; Panigrahi et Joseph, ibid. 8 : 157.1966; A.S. Rao et Deori in Ind. J. For. 3(4) : 331. 1980; Hegde in Arunachal For. News 3(3) : 1980; Kataki et al. in Pl. Cons. Bull. 5 : 33. 1984; Neottia procera Ker-Gawl. Reg. 8. T. 639. 1822.

Erect terrestrial herb growing in sun-exposed moss covered soils of tropical and subtropical zones.

Stem 25-50 cm tall, robust. Roots long, slender, often tuberous, fascicled from the base of the stem, clothed with dense short hairs. Leaves 5-11 x 1.5-4.0 cm, more or less close together on the basal half of the stem, ovate-elliptic to narrow elliptic, acute to acuminate; petiole upto 5 cm long, broad, sheathed and clasping the stem at base. Scape erect, with 4 to 8 linear-lanceolate acuminate sterile bracts at short intervals. Spike terminal, cylindric, 4-16 cm long, dense, many fl owered. Flowers small, white with green ovaries. Bracts 11 x3 mm, narrow subulate, longer than the ovary, papillose hairy at margins, sparsely gland dotted, 1-nerved. Sepals 4 x 2 mm, subequal, ovate, acute, concave, sparsely gland dotted, 1-nerved. Petals 4.0 x 1.5 mm, obovate-oblanceolate, connate in distal half along with dorsal margins, sparsely gland dotted, 1-nerved. Lip 3 x 2 mm; hypochile saccate, vil-lous inside; epichile small, triangular, acute, refl exed, with two oblong calli at the base. Column 2 x 1 mm, anther ovate, concave; pollinia 2, pyriform, without caudicle, attached to a small elliptic gland at apex.

Flowering : March – May.

Occurrence : West Siang district : Kopoh – Gelling, R.S. Rao 17602 (ASSAM). Lohit district : Ha-wai, A.N. Rao 21434 (Orchid Herbarium, Tipi);

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Methangiliang, Haridasan 2171 (APFH). Tirap district : Rusa, Panigrahi 17042 (ASSAM) West Kameng district : Tipi, Rolla Rao 53711; Sessa, A.S. Rao 56623 (ASSAM); Tipi, Hegde 1724, 5205,5214 (Orchid Herbarium, Tipi).

Distribution : India (W. Himalaya, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, South India), Nepal, Bhutan, Burma, Ceylon, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Taiwan,Thailand, Japan, Phil-lippines, Java, Flores Islands.

9. Goodyera vittata Benth. ex Hook. f. Fl. Brit. India 6 : 113. 1890 ; A.S. Rao et Deori in Ind. Journ. For. 3(4) : 331. 1980; Kataki et al in Pl. Cons. Bull. 5 : 33. 1984.

Decumbent terrestrial herb growing in wet leaf litter of subtropical forest fl oors at an elevation of 5000 feet MSL. Stem upto 15 cm tall. Roots short, thick, solitary, arising from the basal nodes of stem, clothed with dense short hairs. Leaves 3-5 x 1.5-2.0 cm, ovarte-lanceolate, acute, narrowed at base into a short petiole and broad clasping sheath. Scape very short, with two lanceolate, acuminate sterile bracts. Spike erect, many fl owered, rather dense, glabrous. Flowers 1.0-1.5 cm long. Bracts 11 x 3.5 mm, longer than the ovary, lanceolate, acuminate, 3-nerved. Sepals 7 x 3 mm, ovate-oblong, acute, 3-nerved, laterals subfalcate. Petals 7 x 2.5 mm, oblanceolate, acute, connate in distal half along the inner margins, 3-nerved. Lip 7 x 3 mm; hypochile saccate, villous within; epichile lanceolate, concave, defl exed, with two vertical parallel econdu on the disc. Column 4.5 mm long; anther 3 mm long, lanceolate, curved at tip; pollinia 2, vertically grooved, with long narrow pseudo caudicles attaching to a long linear gland at apex; rostellum 2 mm long, forked.

Flowering : October.

Occurrence : West Kameng district : Chaku Camp, A.N. Rao (Orchid Herbarium, Tipi). Lower Subansiri district : Rizam-paka-Saling, Sastry 42062, 42189 (ASSAM).

Distribution : INDIA : W. Bengal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh (Endemic to India).

10. Goodyera foliosa (Lindl.) Benth. ex Clark. In Journ. Linn. Soc. 25 : 73. 1889; Biswas in Ind. For. Rec. 3(1) : 51. 1940; Kataki et al. in Pl. Cons. Bull. 5 : 33.1984; Georchis foliosa Lindl. Gen. & Sp. Orch. 496. 1840.

Terrestrial decumbent herb found growing on the moist leaf debris of the subtropical forest fl oor. Stem upto 20 cm tall. Leaves 1.5-2.5 x 0.5-1.5 cm, ovate-lanceolate, acute, undulate; petiole upto 1 cm long, slender, widened at base into a tubular sheath clasping the stem. Scape slender, with 2 or 3 narrow subulate sterile bracts at short intervals, pubescent. Spike 4 cm long, pubescent. Flowers 1.5 cm long, pale green tinged pink. Bracts 1.2 x 0.4 cm, lanceolate, acuminate, pubescent, longer than the ovary. Sepals 7 x 4 mm, ovate, acute, connate at base, 3-nerved, sparsely pubescent externally. Petals 6 x 2.5 mm, oblanceolate, acute, subfalcate, coherent in distal half oblong the inner margins, sparsely gland dotted, 1-nerved. Lip 8 x 4 mm; hypochile with sparse villi within; epichile lanceolate, acute, defl exed, econdus. Column 4 mm long, erect, winged at basal vertal margins; anther ovate, acuminate, 2-celled; pollinia 2, attached to a linear-lanceolate viscidium. Rostel-lum long, forked.

Flowering : April.

Occurrence : Lower Subansiri district : Saling, Sastry 42199 (ASSAM).

Distribution: India (Uttar Pradesh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland), Nepal, Bhutan, China, Burma, Korea, Japan, Rynkyu Islands, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand.

11. Goodyera schlectandaliana Rchb. f. in Linnaia 22 : 861. 1849; Kataki et al. in Pl. Cons. Bull. 5 : 33. 1984; A.N. Rao in S.P. Vij (ed.) Biol. Cons. Cult. Orch. : 327. 1986; G. secundifl ora auct. Non Griff. : Hook.f. Fl. Brit. India 6 : 113. 1890; A.S. Rao et Deori in Ind. Journ. For. 3(4) : 31. 1980.

Decumbent terrestrial herb found growing on moist humus of subtropical forest fl oors. Rarely this can be found growing on moss covered trunks. Stem upto 25 cm tall. Roots solitary from the basal nodes, covered with dense short hair. Leaves 5-8 x 1.0-2.5 cm, lanceolate, acute, mottled green, narrowed at

7

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base into a short slender petiole and a broad stem-clasping sheath. Scape upto 10 cm long, clothed with sterile bracts which are leafy towards base and narrow lanceolate towards up, pubescent. Spike 10 cm long. Flowers 1.5 cm long, econd. Bracts 16 x 6 mm, lan-ceolate, acuminate, longer than the ovary, glandular hairy outside. Sepals 9 x 3 mm, ovate, acute, glandular outside, 1-nerved. Petals 8 x 2.5 mm, oblanceolate, acute, 1-nerved. Lip 8 mm long; hypochile broadly saccate, villous within; epichile oblong, acute, with two parallel linear lamellae on disc. Column 5 mm long; anther ovate, acute, hinged at base; pollinia 4 mm long, bright yellow, caudate acuminate at apex and attached to a long narrow brown disc, bright yellow.


Occurrence : West Kameng district : Sepla – Dafl a, A.S. Rao 50642; Kalaktang, A.S. Rao 49707 (ASSAM); Bomdila – Dirang, A.N. Rao 17325 (Orchid Herbarium, Tipi).

Distribution: India (West Bengal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland), Nepal, Bhutan, Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan, China, Kwangtung, E.Tibet,Korea,Japan, Sumatra.

Note : This species can be an attractive garden plant for its verigated foliage.

12. Goodyera hispida Lindl. in Journ. Linn. Soc. 3 : 183. 1857; Hook. F. Fl. Brit. India 6 : 114. 1890; King et Pantl. In Ann. Roy. Bot. Gard. Calcutta 8 : 282. Pl. 375. 1898; Burkill in Rec. Bot. Surv. India 10(2) ; 380. 1924; A.S. Rao et Deori in Ind. Journ. For. 3(4) : 331. 1981; Kataki et al. in Pl. Cons. Bull. 5 : 33. 1984.

Erect terrestrial herb found growing on wet humus of tropical and subtropical zones at elevation from 500 – 5000 feet. Stem 15-25 cm tall, slender, erect. Leaves 1.5-2.5 x 0.5-1.0 cm, lanceolate, acute, more or less together, pinkish green with reticulated white veins, subsessile bracts at short intervals. Spike pu-bescent, dense fl owered. Flowers small, sub-secund. Bracts 4.5 x 1.5 mm, lanceolate, acuminate, longer than the ovary, pubescent, 1-nerved. Sepals 2.5 x 1.5 mm, ovate, obtuse-acute, 1-nerved, glandular hairy outside. Petals 2.5 x 1 mm, oblanceolate, acute, sub-

falcate. Lip 2 x 1 mm, hypochile saccate, with many villi within; epichile short, ovate-oblong, acute, naked on disc. Column 1.5 cm long; anther short, ovate, acute, pollinia 2, clavate, attached to an oblong gland; rostellum long, forked.

Flowering : September – October.

Occurrence : West kameng district : Senge – Tawang, A.S. Rao 49616 (ASSAM); Tipi, A.N. Rao 4368, 4305 (Orchid Herbarium, Tipi).

Distribution : India ( Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya), Thailand, Malaya.

13. Goodyera hemsleyana King & Pantl. In J. As. Soc. Bengal 64(2) : 342. 1896 & in Ann. Roy. Bot. Gard. Calcutta 8 : 281. T. 373. 1898; Kataki et al. in Pl. Cons. Bull. 5 : 33. 1984.

Kataki et al (loc.cit.) reported this species from Arunachal Pradesh without any specifi c locality. No specimens are available for study in local herbaria.

Distribution : India ( Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh ?), Endemic.

4. HERPYSMA Lindl.

[ in Edwards’ Bot. Reg. 19 ad. T. 1618. 1833 ].

This is monotypic genus widespread from India to Phillippines.

Decumbent terrestrial herbs. Leaves many, scat-tered on the stem, sheathing at base, shortly petioled. Spike dense fl owered. Dorsal sepal coherent with petals forming a hood over the column. Lateral sepals spreading. Petals narrower. Lip adnate to the column in lower half, with 2 parallel lamellae about the middle on disc and a median lamella towars apex. Spur cleft at apex, with scattered warts inside.

Herpysma longicaulis Lindl. Gen. & Sp. Orch. 506. 1840; R.S. Rao et Joseph in Bull. Bot. Surv. India 7 : 153. 1965; Kataki et al in Pl. Cons. Bull. 5 : 20. 1984; A.N. Rao in S.P. Vij (ed.) Biol. Cons. Cult. Orch. : 326. 1986.

Terrestrial decumbent herbs growing on the rich humus in wet evergreen subtropical forests at elevations ranging from 1100-1800 m. Plants upto 40 cm tall. Rhizome reeping, ca. 4 mm thick, pro-

9


ducing solitary roots at nodes. Roots upto 5 cm long, thick, densely covered with short hairs all over. Stem erect, with many distichous closely arranged leaves throughout. Leaves 2-7 x 1-2 cm, ovate-lanceolate, acute, shortly petioled, clasping the stem with tubular sheathing bases. Spike 6 cm long, many fl owered, rather dense. Flowers 2 cm long, white with pink tinge on the perianth tips. Bracts 11 x 3.5 mm, longer than the ovary, ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, 5-nerved, pubescent externally. Dorsal sepal 8 x 3 mm, ovate, acute, cucullate, sparsely gland dotted, 3-nerved, pubescent externally. Lateral sepals 9 x 3 mm, ovate-lanceolate, acute, sparsely gland dotted, 3-nerved, pubescent externally. Petals 8 x 3 mm, elliptic-oblong, acute, 2 or 3 nerved, sparsely gland dotted. Lip 8 x 3 mm; hypochile adnate to the column along margins, with 2 small parallel conical econdu towards apex on disc; Spur 1 cm long, slender, tubular, forked at tip, with globular warts acattered inside. Column 6 mm long; anther ovate-lanceolate; 2-celled; pollinia 2, clavate, attached to a column linear-elliptic viscidium at apex. Rostellum forked; arms prominently winged at dorsal margins. Stigma 1, ventral.


Occurrence : West Kameng district : Sessa, Hegde 8216, A.N. Rao 8216; Dirang, A.N. Rao 16714 (Orchid Herbarium, Tipi). Siang dis-trict : Takepokong – Sirang, Rolla Rao 17829 (ASSAM).

Distribution : India (W. Bengal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya), Nepal, Yunnan, Vietnam, Thailand, Sumatra.

5. ERYTHRODES Bl.

[ Bijdr. 410. T. 72. 1825]

Terrestrial. Leaves scattered on the stem, long petioled, sheathing at base. Spike many fl owered, dense. Sepals subequal; dorsal coherent with petals forming hood over column; laterals spreading. Petals narrower. Lip adnate to the column in lower half, defl exed at apex. Spur infl ated, naked within.

This is a genus of about 100 species distributd in Eastasiatic – Pacifi c area and America. Three spe-cies are found in India of which 2 species has been

reported from Arunachal Pradesh.

Key to the species

1a. Midlobe of lip ovate-triangular; spur tip shallowly 2-lobed………..……E.blumei1b. Midlobe of lip suborbicular; Spur tip distinctly 2-4 lobed………….. E.hirsuta

1. Erythrodes blumei (Lindl.) Schltr. In Schum, & Lauterb. Nachtr. 87. 1905; A.N. Rao in S.P. Vij (ed.) Biol. Cons. Cult. Orch. : 326. 1986; Physurus blumei Lindl. Gen. & Sp. Orch. 504. 1840; Hook f. Fl. Brit. India, 6 : 94. 1890.

Terrestrial herbs growing on rich humus in sub-tropical wet evergreen forest at an elevation of about 1000 m. Plants upto 30 cm tall with infl orescence, erect. Stem fl eshy, ca. 4 mm thick. Leaves 9.5 x 3.0 cm, ovate-lanceolate, acute, narrowed at base into a sheathing petiole, 5-7 prominently nerved. Spike terminal, upto 12 cm long; many fl owered, pubescent. Scape 14 cm long, erect, pubescent, clothed with 3-4 sterile bracts at long intervals. Sterile bracts 1.5-3.0 x 0.3-0.5 cm, membranous; lower ones sheathing, tu-bular, acute; upper ones lanceolate, acuminate. Floral bracts 13 x 4 mm, lanceolate, acuminate, larger than the ovary, 1-nerved, pubescent. Sepals 7-8 x 2.0-2.5 mm, oblong-lanceolate, acute, 3-nerved glandular pubescent; lateral sepals slightly larger than the dorsal one. Petals 7 x 1 mm, oblanceolate or spathulate, subacute connate along the dorsal margin towards apex, adherent to the dorsal sepal forming a hood, 1-nerved. Lip 6 x 2 mm, oblong-obovate, adnate to the column in the lower margins; 3-lobed, defl exed at the midlobe region, 5-7 nerved; lateral lobes auricular, smaller than the midlobe; ovate, subacute, defl exed along the margins. Spur 4.0 x 1.5 mm, oblong, swol-len towards apex, bilobed at tip, with 5 distinct nerves which continue with those of the lip. Column 3 mm long; anther oblong lanceolate, 2-celled; pollinia 2, united to a common oblong viscidium rostellum 2.5 mm long, bifi d, winged at outer margins. Ovary 1.0 x 0.2 cm, glandular, pubescent.

Flowering : May.

Occurrence : Subansiri district : Palin – Radang, Sastry 45371 (ASSAM).


Distribution : India (Arunachal Pradesh), Bangladesh, (Sylhet), Burma, China, Sri Lanka, Vietbam, Thailand.

Note : This interesting new record for India extends its distribution further North into the Himalayan region. It is quite possible to locate the species in other districts of Arunachal Pradesh.

2. Erythrodes hirsuta (Griff.) Ormd. In Seidenf. Contrib. Orch. Thailand 13:12. 1997. Goody-era hirsuts Griff. Notul. Pl. Asiat. 3:393.1857. E.seshagiriana Nageswara Rao in Ind. For. 123 (7) : 643. Figs. 1-11, 1997

Decumbent terrestrial herb growing on hunus covered wet evergreen tropical forest fl oor in associa-tion with other ground orchid species of Hataeria and Zeuxine at an elevation of about 300 m.

Plants upto 40 cm tall with inflorescence. Stem decumbent, with solitary root from each node towards base. Leaves 4-10 x 4-1 cm, obliquely ovate-lanceolate, acute with long petioles of 2-4 cm long with sheathing bases, upto 6, at short intervals on the middle of the stem. Scape upto 20 cm long, glandular-pubescent, with 2 or 3 small lanceolate acuminate sterile bracts at distant intervals. Infl orescence dense, many fl owered. Flowers about 1.5 cm long, brown-ish purple, glandular pubescent on ovary and sepals. Bracts about 12 x 2 mm, lanceolate, acuminate, longer than the ovary, glandular pubescent outside. Dorsal sepal about 7 x 2.5 mm, ovate-lanceolate, acute, 3-nerved, slightly spreading. Petals 6 mm long and 1.5 mm at broadest, spathulate, forming a hood over column by adhering to dorsal sepal, 1-nerved. Lip 6 x 3 mm, fused with column in basal half at margins, 3-lobed; lateral lobes narrow; midlobe oate, acute, refl exed; spur upto 4.5 mm long, protruding from the bases of lateral sepals, deeply bilobed at tip, with 4 oblong calli 2 each on each side wall inside. Column 5 mm long, erect; rostellum deeply forked with long sublate atms. Anther-cap 3 x 2 mm, 2-celled, with pointed beak. Pollinia sectile, in 2 groups attached at tip to a common elliptic disc.

Flowering : March.

Occurrence : Changland district : Motijeel (Nam-dapha National Park) A.N. Rao 28269 (Holotype

– CAL); A.N. Rao 28267 (Paratype – Orchid Herbarium, Tipi).

Distribution : India (Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh) Bhutan, Myanmar, Hainan, Thailand,Vietnam . Endemic

7. HETAERIA Bl.

[ Fl. Javae 1 : Praef. 7. 1828. Orth. Var.]

Terrestrial decumbent herbs. Leaves asym-metric, petioled, sheathing at base. Flowers nonresu-pinate, partly opening. Dorsal sepal coherent with petals forming a hood. Lip with saccate hypochile consisting 2 calli within; epichile econdu, never broad-ened. Column with 2 wings on the front; rostellum deeply forked; stigmas 2, lateral.

This is a genus of about 20 species distributed in India, Sri Lanka, extending to Fiji Islands through Malaya, Java, Sumatra, Borneo, New Guinea, Thai-land and Philippines. Also in Brazil and Africa. About 5 species are reported so far from India of which only one species is found in Arunachal Pradesh.

Hetaeria affi nis (Griff.) seidenf. et Ormd. In Oasis, suppl. 2 : 9.2001. Goodyera affi nis Griff. Notul.Pl.Asiat. 3:391.1851. Hetaeria rubens (Lindl.) Benth. ex Hk.f. Fl. Brit. India 6 : 115, 1890; Burkill in Rec. Bot. Surv. India 10(1) : 380. 1924; Panigrahi et Joseph in Bull. Bot. Surv. India 8 : 157. 1966; Kataki et al. in Pl. Cons. Bull. 5 : 20. 1984; A.N. Rao in S.P. Vij (ed.) Biol. Cons. Cult. Orch. : 326. 1986.

Terrestrial herbs found growing on rich humus of wet evergreen tropical-subtropical forest fl oor at an elevation of about 200 – 4000 m.

Plants decumbent, upto 25 cm tall (with infl o-rescence). Creeping stem fl eshy, with a single having root at each node. Erect stem fl eshy, with 2 or 3 tubular sheathing bracts at nodes. Leaves 4-10 x 2-4 cm, about 3, ovate or ovate-elliptic, acute, petioled, tubular and sheathing at base, distinctly 3-nerved. In-fl orescence terminal spike, many fl owered, with a long scape. Scape pubescent, with 2 or 3 ovate-lanceolate sterile bracts at different intervals. Floral bracts 6 x 2 mm, shorter than the ovary, ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, papillose at margins, sparsely gland dot-

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ted, 1-nerved. Flowers non-resupinate, pale green tinged with red. Odd sepal 3.5 x 2 mm, ovate, acute, concave, 2-nerved, glandular hairy externally, sparsely gland dotted. Lateral sepals 4 x 3 mm, little larger than the odd sepal, ovate, acute, 1-nerved, glandular hairy externally, sparsely gland dotted. Petals 3 x 1.5 mm, a little shorter than the sepals, oblanceolate, hammer shaped, clawed, adherent to the odd sepal and forming a hood, sparsely gland dotted. Lip 3.5 x 2 mm, ovate, obtuse to acute, concave, divided into small epichile and a big hypochile by a small subter-minal constriction; hypochile saccate, with 2 calli on the lateral walls otowards base; epichile ovate, acute. Column 3 mm long with 2 wings on front; anther ovate, acute, 2-celled. Rostellum forked. Stigmas 2, sessile, lateral.

Flowering : August - September.

Occurrence : West Kameng district : Tipi, Hegde 3979; Rowta, Hegde 3673 (Orchid Herbarium,Tipi). West Siang district : Geling – Kapangla, Rolla Rao 17554 A. Tirap district : Laju,Panigrahi 14780; Nisa, Panigrahi 14850 (ASSAM). Lohit district : Hawai, A.N. Rao 21406, 21407 (Orchid Herbarium, Tipi).

Distribution : India (West Bengal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Assam),Burma, Thailand.

7. MYRMECHIS Bl.

[ Orch. Arch. Ind. : 76. T. 21. 1858 ].

Small terrestrial herbs. Stem decumbent. Leaves many, small, alternately scattered on the stem. Spike terminal, 2-3 fl owered. Flowers small, white. Sepals free or connate at base; laterals larger; dorsal forming a hood with petals. Lip attached to the column at base; hypochile saccate with 2 calli; mesochile short or long, without any fl anges; epichile bilobed. Column short; anther dorsal; pollinia 2 with common viscid-ium; rostellum short, bifi d; stigma 2, lateral, stalked; columnar processes 2, ventral.

This is a genus of about 6 species distributed in tropical Asia and Malaysia. Two species are reported so far from India of which only one is found in Arunachal Pradesh.

Myrmechis pumila (Hook.f.) Tang & Wang in Act. Phytotax. Peking 1 (1) : 69. 1951. Odontochilus pumilus Hook.f. Fl. Brit. India 6 : 99. 1890. Anoec-tochilus pumilus ‘King et Pantl.’ Auct. : Panigrahi et Naik in Bull. Bot. Surv. India 3 : 381. 1961.

Tiny terrestrial herbs with decumbent stem found growing at an elevation of about 6000 feet.

Plant up to 10 cm tall. Leaves 1-2 cm long with short petiole having sheathing base, ovate, acute. Spike about 2 cm long, with 2 or 3 fl owers at apex and with one sheathing sterile bract on peduncle. Flowers about 12 mm long, white. Bract 5 x 2 mm, ovate-lanceolate, acute, shorter than the ovary. Sepals and petals about 3 mm long, subequal; petals narrower. Lip 4 mm long; hypochile saccate; mesochile narrow, oblong; epichile 2-lobed, lobes oblong, obtuse, diverg-ing in acute angle. Column very short.

Flowering : July.

Occurrence : Lower Subansiri district : Panigrahi 19384 (loc.cit.)

Distribution : India (Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh ), Burma, Yunnan and .

Note : The above specimen collected by Panigrahi could not be seen in local herbaria. Above description is based in the specimen Pantling 162 (CAL) collected from Tendong in Sikkim.

8. CHEIROSTYLIS Bl.

[ Bijdr. 384. T. 51. 1825]

Small decumbent herbs. Prostate stem minoli-form, with minute hairy roots ventrally. Erect stem leafy. Leaves sub radical or scattered on stem. Flowers few in terminal raceme. Sepals connate in the basal half to form a ventrioose tube. Petals narrow. Lip inserted at the base of column, erect; epichile dilated, bilobed; mesochile indistinct; hypochile saccate, with one to several pairs of papillae on inside walls of the sac. Column short, with two arms or stylids project-ing from the ventral face; rostellum with two slender erect arms; Anther dorsal, erect; pollinia 2, attached to a common viscidium; stigmata 2 lateral at the base of rostellum.

The genus consists of about 25 species distrib-


12

uted in the mainland of S. E. Asia, Eastern Africa, Japan, Philippines and N. Guinea. In India it is represented by 7 species of which 5 species are found in Arunachal Pradesh.

Key to the species

1a. Fowers glabrous……………………………. 21b. Flowers pubescent….....…………….…….. 32a. Bracts shorter than ovary; hypochile of lip with 2 bifurcated villi inside….…C. pusilla2b. Bracts longer than ovary; hypochile of lip with 6 villi inside.……... C. moniliformis3a. Flowers hirsute; hypochile of lip with bifurcated villi inside …....... C. sessanica3b. Flowers covered with glandular hair; hypochile of lip with 4 or many villi inside ………………………………….. 44a. Petals oblong, truncate; hypochile of lip with 7 pairs of villi inside.. ………...………………..... 4. C.yunnanensis 4b. Petals falcately oblanceolate, acute….......…… 55a. Hypochile of lip with 2 pairs of villi inside……………………… . 5. C.tippica5b. Hypochile of lip with 3 pairs of Villi inside …………………….. 6. C.gunnarii

1. Cheirostylis pusilla Lindl. Gen. & Sp. Orch. 489. 1840; Hook. F. Fl. Brit. India 6 : 105. 1890; A.N.Rao in S.P. Vij (ed.) Biol. Cons. Cult. Orchid. 326. 1984.

A tiny lithophytic herb creeping on boulders with moniliform rhizome in the wet evergreen sub-tropical forest at an elevation of about 1000 m.

Rhizome 2-5 cm long, moniliform, dorsoven-trally fl attened, sparsely branching, adhering the rock surfaces with small round suckers produced below, dark green. Stem erect, 4-7 cm tall, slender. Leaves 2-5 x 2-3 mm, upto 5, ovate, acute, shortly petioled, clasping the stem with tubular sheathing bases. Spike terminal, 2-fl owered (often the second abortive). Flowers 9 mm long, sessile, milky white. Bracts 4-6 x 1-2 mm, as long as the ovary, lanceolate, acuminate, 1-nerved. Sepals connate in the lower half forming a tube; free lobes 2-4 x 1.0-1.5 mm, ovate, obtuse, 1-nerved, sparsely gland dotted; lateral lobes longer than the dorsal and lying below the epichile of lip. Petals 3-4 x 1.0-1.5 mm, oblanceolate, obtuse, fal-

cate, 1-nerved, adherent to the dorsal lobe of sepaline tube and forming a hood. Lip 5 x 4 mm; hypochile oblong; concace, with a long vertical median ridge and 2 lateral ‘T ’ shaped calli towards base; epichile fl abellate, ca. 5 mm across, deeply forked, irregular at apical margins, with 2 papillose swellings at base. Column very short, with 2 erect slender stylid, anther lanceolate, acuminate, pollinia 2, cleft, attached to a squarish membranous viscidium. Rostellum forked, with 2 slender erect arms.

Flowering : September.

Occurrence : Tirap district : Deban, A.N. Rao 73524 (ASSAM).

Distribution : India (Arunachal Pradesh), Bangladesh, Thailand.

2.Cheirostylis moniliformis (Griff.) Seidenf. in Dansk Bot. Ark. 32(2) : 69. F. 9. 40. 1978; Shukla & Deori in J : Econ. Tax. Bot. 8 : 201. 1986. Goodyera moniliformis Griff. Itin. Not. No. 679. 143.1848. Cheirostylis chinensis var. glabra Bhaum. Et Path. In Bull. Bot. Surv. India 47 : 183.2005, syn.nov.

Small lithophytic herb found growing on moss covered rocks in wet evergreen subtropical forest at an elevation of about 3000 feet MSL. Plants upto 10 cm long. Prostate stem about 5 cm long, moniliform, adhering to the rock surface with ting root suckers present below the earch segment. Erect stem about 5 cm tall including infl orescence, covered with 2 or 3 leaves at small intervals. Leaves 5-13 x 3-9 mm, ovate, acute, prominently nerved, sheathing at base. Scape slender, with 3 or 4 sterile sheathing bracts at short intervals, purplish green, densely covered with retrorse hair. Flowers 3 or 4, about 9 mm long, close together at the apex of scape, brownish green with white lip. Bract 7 x 2 mm, lanceolate, acuminate, longer than the ovary, purplish brown. Sepaline tube 3 mm long, apical half 3-lobed, free. Petals 3 x 1 mm, adherent to the dorsal lobe of sepaline tube. Lip about 4.5 mm long, hypochile saccate with 3 pairs of villi; mesochile short with 2 marginal ridges; epichile about 6 mm wide when spread out, bilobed, fl abellate, 5-6 toothed at margin, with 2 green blotches near the base. Column short, pale green; anther cap red; rostellar arms white; stigmata 2, lateral, green.


13

Flowering : March.

Occurrence : Lohit district : Menzong – Yasong, A.N. Rao 21463 (Orchid Herbarium, Tipi).

Distribution : India (Arunachal Pradesh), Bhutan.

3. Cheirostylis sessanica Nageswara Rao in Nord. J. Bot. 8 : 339. 1988.

Small terrestrial herb found growing on humus forest fl oor in wet evergreen subtropical forest at an elevation of 3500 feet.

Plants upto 13 cm long incl. Infl orescence. Stem prostrate, moniliformis, dark brown, with many small roots restricted to the ventral side of each internode, erect shoots about 3 cm long. Leaves 4, lamina 15 x 5 mm, ovate-lanceolate, acute, greenish brown; petiole about 5 mm long, clasping the stem with sheathing base. Spike 10 cm long, hirsute, with 3 small brick-red sterile bracts of various intervals. Flowers up to 5, terminal, more or less close together, 1.5 cm long. Bracts 5 x 2 mm, pubescent, ovate-lanceolate, acute-acuminate, shorter than the stipitate ovary. Sepaline tube 5 mm long, 3 mm in diam., dorsal lobe a little shorter and broader than the laterals, pubescent, brick-red tinged with dark gren, sparsely gland doted. Petals 4.5 x 2.0 mm, spathulate, 1-nerved, sparsely gland dotted, white, adherent to the dorsal lobe of the sepaline tube. Lip 6.0 x 3.5 mm, white, with 2 green blotches at the base of the epichile; ep-ichile bilobed, fl abellate when spread out, each lobe 4-dented at margin; hypochile saccate, with 2 cali in each half. Column about 2 mm long, pale green at base; rostellar arms longer than stylids, twisted at tips; stylids straight, terete, acute, Stigma 2, lateral, yel-low. Anther-cap 2.0 x 1.5 mm, ovate, acute, stalked, pale yellow tinged with pink in upper half. Pollinia about 2 mm long, sectile, yellow, with an elongate, membranous viscidium at apex. Ovary about 8 x 3 mm, stalked, pubescent, brick-red.

Flowering : March.

Occurrence : West kameng district : Sessa, A.N. Rao 24016 (Orchid Herbarium, Tipi).

Distribution: India (Arunachal Pradesh) . Endemic.

4. Cheirostylis yunnanensis Rolfe in Bull. Misc.

Inform. Kew : 201, 1896;A.N.Rao in Arunchal For. News 19: 122. 2001. Cheirostylis munnacampensis Nageswara Rao in Nord. J. Bot. 8 : 340. Fig. 2. 1988. C.pobongensis Lucksom in Ind. J.For. 20(3): 305.1997.

Small terrestrial herb found growing on humus covered, exposed rocky hill slopes at an elevation of 6000 feet. Plants upto 12 cm long incl. Infl orescence. Stem prostrate moniliformis, pale green, withmany small roots restricted to the ventral portion of each internode, erect shoots 1 cm long, slender. Leaves 2 or 3, 10 x 5 mm, ovate, acute, almost whithered when plant in fl ower; petiole slender, clasping the stem with sheathing base. Spike 11 cm long, hirsute. Flowers 2-4, terminal, 1.5 cm long. Bracts up to 4 mm long, pubescent, ovate-lanceolate, acute-acuminate, shorter than the ovary. Sepaline tube 7.0 x 3.5 mm, hirsute, pale green. Petals 6.5 x 2.0 mm, oblong, truncate at apex, 1-nerved. Lip 12 mm long, 12 mm broad when epichile lobes spread out, white with 2 green blotches at the base of epichile; epichile bilobed, each lobe with 8 irregular fringes at margins; hypochile saccate, with 7 slender terete calli in each half. Column 2.5 mm long; stylids erect, about two times longer than the rostellar arms. Anther cap about 1.5 x 0.5 mm, ovate, acute, stalked. Pollinia 1.5 mm long, yellow, sectile, with an elongate membranous viscidium at apex. Ovary 8 mm long, shortly stalked, greenm pubescent.

Flowering : May.

Occurrence : West Kameng district: Munna Camp, A.N. Rao 14567-68 (Orchid Herbarium, Tipi).

Distribution : India (Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim), Bhutan, China, Thailand and Vietnam.

5. Cheirostylis tippica Nageswara Rao in Arunachal For. News 9 (2) : 17. Fogs. 1-7. 1991.

Small decumbent herb growing in shady soil mixed with decayed vegetable matter amidst ferns and small grasses at an elevation of about 600 feet. Prostrate stem upto 3 cm long, moniliform, fl eshy, dark greenish brown, with sterile sheathing bracts at the base of each internode and small hair like roots arranged circularly in the middle portion of the in-ternodes. Erect stem about 3.5 cm long, with about 10 leaves arranged alternately at small intervals with more or less overlapping sheathing bases. Leaves 0.5-


14

2.0 x 0.3-1.0 cm, ovate-lanceolate, acute, with slender petiole, clasping the stem with sheathing bases, green-ish brown, slightly dried during the fl owering stage of the plant. Scape about 7 cm long, with 2 lanceolate sterile bracts at distant interval, densely covered with retrorse glandular hair, purple. Flowers 3 or 4 at the tip of the scape, secundous, dark green tinged with purple, covered with glandular hair. Bract about 5.0 x 2.5 mm, shorter than the ovary, ovate-lanceolate, acute-acuminate, covered with long glandular hair. Sepaline tube about 5 mm long, 2 mm in diam., free lobes about 1.5 mm long, triangular, acute-acuminate. Petals about 4.5 mm long, slightly shorter than the sepals, adherent to the dorsal sepaline lobe, falcately oblanceolate, acute, 1-nerved, white. Lip 7 x 2 mm, Y-shaped when spread out, white with 2 green blotches at the base of the epichile; hypochile bisaccate from below, 3-nerved with a keel to the middle one, with 4-villi two in each sac along the lateral neves; epichile 2-lobed, V-shaped when spread out with a small acute sinus; lobes about 2.0 x 1.5 mm sub rectangular, unequally 5-dented at distal margin. Column about 2 mm long, with a pair of elongate slender stylids and equally long one pair of rostellar arms; anther cap ovate, acuminate, 2-celled, shortly stalked, pale yellow tinged with red on the back; pollinia 2, sectile, yellow, attached to an oblong white viscidium; stigma 2, lateral. Ovary about 8.2 mm, ellipsoid, shortly pedicelled, covered with glandular hair.

Flowering : January – February.

Occurrence : West Kameng district : Tipi, A.N. Rao 25750 (Orchid Herbarium, Tipi).

Dostribution : India (Arunachal Pradesh). Endemic.

6. Cheirostylis gunnarii Nageswara Rao in Nord. J. Bot. 18:23.1998.

Plant epiphytic, upto 12 cm long with infl ores-cence. Stem moniliform, growing downwards, many nodded, with minute fi brous roots on ventral side at the centre of each node, with single leaf at every node, green. Leaves upto 6 X 6 mm, sessile, cordate, acute, many, arranged alternately and adpressed to the stem. Infl orescence upto 3 cm long including 2 cm long pe-duncle, growing in the sameline with stem, glandular pubescent, with 2 or 3 sterile bracts. Flowers 3 to 4,

about 1 cm long, with green ovary, pale green sepaline tube and white peatals and lip. Bracts upto 5 X 2 mm, ovate-lanceolate, acute, as long as or longer than ovary, erose at upper half margins, 1-nerved, gland dotted , glandular pubescent externally. Sepaline tube upto 4 mm long, 1.8 mm diam., pale green, glandular pu-bescent; dorsal lobe 3.0 X 2.5 mm, ovate, subacute; lateral lobes 1.5 X 1.0 mm, ovate-oblong, subacute. Petals 4 X 1 mm, 1.5 mm at broadest, oblanceolate, subfalcate, acute, 1-nerved, gland dotted, adherent to the dorsal lobe of sepaline tube. Lip 7 mm long, white; hypochile 3 mm long, oblong, concane, with 3-pairs of villi on side walls inside and a thickened midnerve in between; epichile 4 X 6 mm, fl abellate, bilobed, thickened at base; lobes 3 X 3 mm, obovate, erose truncate, with a narrow deep sinus, puberulous. Column 3 mm long , 1.5 mm broad; rostellar arms 2 mm long, slender, oblong, acute,terete; stylids 1.5 mm long, shorter but broader than rostellar arms, ovate-oblong, acute, fl attened. Anther about 1.5 mm long, ovate, bilocular, pale yellow with orange coloured beak; pollinia sectile, in 2 groups, yellow; viscidium slightly longer than rostellar arms, elliptic-lanceolate, green and non transparent in upper half and trans-parent white in lower half. Ovary about 5 X 2 mm, ellipsoid, subsessile, glandular pubescent, green.

Flowering : March

Occurrence : Lohit district, Kamlang reserve forest, 300 m, A.N.Rao 28003 ( Orchid Herbarium Tipi), 28004 (CAL), 28005 (ASSAM).

Distribution : Endemic.

9. ANOECTOCHILUS Bl.

[ Bijdr. 411. T. 15. 1825 ]

Terrestrial herbs with fl eshy decumbent stem. Roots arising solitary from basal nodes. Leaves few, variously coloured, with reticulate ornamentation or mottled. Infl orescence few or many fl owered, lax. Dorsal sepal forming a hood with petals. Lip adnate fi rmly to the base of column; larger than the sepals and petals with 2- or rarely 4-lobed epichile, fringed or entire mesochile and saccate or spurred hypochile; sac or spur with 2 dent-like or laminar calli within. Column straight, with ventral appendages; pollinia 2,

15


PLATE -1

Cheirostylis gunnarii Cheirostylis tippica

Cheirostylis sessanica Zeuxine lindleyana

16


PLATE -2

Anoectochilus roxburghii Cheirostylis pusilla

Erythrodes blumei Erythrodes hirsutus

17


PLATE -3

Goodyera bifl ora Goodyera foliosa

Goodyera hispida Goodyera procera


18

PLATE -4

Goodyera repens Goodyera viridifl ora

Goodyera vittata Goodyera schlectandaliana

19


PLATE -5

Herpysma longicaulis Hetaeria affi nis

Odontochilus tortus Spiranthes sinensis


20

LEGEND TO PLATES 1 - 5

PLATE 1. Cheirostylis gunnarii Nageswara Rao 1. Plant 2. Flower 3. Bract 4. Sepaline tube cut open 5.Petal 6.Lip 7.Column 8.Anther cap 9.Pollinarium – dorsal and ventral view. (Drawn by A.N.Rao)

Cheirostylis tippica Nageswara Rao 1.Plant 2.Flower 3.Lip 4.Sepaline tube cut open with petals 5. Hypochile from below showing bisaccate nature 6.Column ventral view 7. Column dorsal view. (Drawn by A.N.Rao)

Cheirostylis sessanica Nageswara Rao 1.Plant 2.Bract 3.Flower 4.Sepaline tube cut open 5.Petal 6.Lip 7&8.Column- ventral and side view 9.Anther cap 10.Pollinarium. (Drawn by A.N.Rao)

Zeuxine lindleyana Nageswara Rao 1.Plant 2.Rhizome 3.Flower 4.Bract 5.Dorsal sepal and petals in situ 6.Dorsal sepal 7.Lateral sepal 8.Petal 9.Lip 10 & 11.Column- ventral and dorsal view 12.An-ther cap 13.Pollinarium 14. Lip of Z.strateumatica (L.)Schltr. (Drawn by A.N.Rao)

PLATE 2. Anoectochilus roxburghii (Wall.)Lindl. 1.Plant 2.Dorsal sepal 3.Lateral sepal 4.Petal 5.Lip 6.L.S. of spur 7.Column.

Cheirostylis pusilla Lindl. 1.Plant 2.Flower 3.Bract 4&5.Sepalinetube lobes with a petal 6.Petals 7.Lip 8.Column 7.Pollinarium (Drawn by A.N.Rao)

Erythrodes blumei (Lindl.)Schltr. 1.Plant 2.Dorsal sepal 3.Lateral sepal 4.Petal 5.Lip 6.Lip-side view 7.Column 9.Pollinarium (Drawn by A.N.Rao)

Erythrodes hirsutus (Griff.) Ormd. 1.Plant 2.Flower 3.Dorsal sepal 4.Lateral sepal 5.Petal 6&7. Lip – front and ventral view 8.L.S. of spur 9.Column 10.Alther cap 11.Pollinarium (Drawn by A.N.Rao)

PLATE 3. Goodyera bifl ora (Lindl.)Hk.f. 1.Plant 2.Flower 3.Bract 4.Dorsal sepal 5.Lateral sepal 6.Petals 7.Lip 8.Column 9.Pollinarium (Drawn by A.N.Rao)

Goodyera foliosa (Lindl.) Benth. ex Cl. 1.Plant 2.Bract 3.Dorsal sepal 4.Lateral sepal 5.Petals 6.Lip 7.Column 8.Pollinarium (Drawn by A.N.Rao)

Goodyera hispida Lindl. 1.Plant 2.Flower 3.Petal 4.Dorsal sepal 5.Lateral sepal 6.Lip 7.Column 8.Anther cap 9.Pollinarium (Drawn by A.N.Rao)

Goodyera procera (Ker.-Gawl.) Hook. 1.Plant 2.Flower 3.Dorsal sepal 4.Lateral sepal 5.Petals 6.Lip 7.Column 8.Anther cap 9.Pollinarium (Drawn by A.N.Rao)

PLATE 4. Goodyera repens (L.) R.Br. 1. Plant 2.Dorsal sepal 3.Lateral sepal 4.Petal 5.Lip 6.Column with Ovary and Bract 7.Pollinarium (Drawn by A.N.Rao)

Goodyera viridifl ora (Bl.) Bl. 1.Plant 2.Lateral sepal 3.Dorsal sepal 4.Petal 5.Lip 6.Column (Drawn by A.N.Rao)

Goodyera vittata Benth. ex Hk.f. 1.Plant 2.Dorsal sepal 3.Lateral sepal 4.Petals 5.Lip 6. Column 7.Pollinarium (Drawn by A.N.Rao)

Goodyera schlectandaliana 1.Plant 2.Dorsal sepal 3.Lateral sepal 4.Petals 5.Lip 6. Column 7.Pollinarium (Drawn by A.N.Rao)

PLATE 5. Herpysma longicaulis Lindl. 1.Plant 2.Flower 3.Dorsal sepal 4.Lateral sepal 5.Petal 6.Lip 7. Column 8.Pollinarium (Drawn by A.N.Rao)

Hetaeria affi nis (Griff.) Seidenf. et Ormd. 1.Plant 2.Flower 3.Lip 4.Lateral sepal 4.Petal 6.Odd sepal 7.Column (Drawn by A.N.Rao)

Odontochilus tortus King et Pantl. 1. Plant 2.Flower 3. Dorsal sepal and petals insitu 4. Sepals and Petals 4a.Lip 5.Column 6.Pollinarium (Drawn by A.N.Rao)

Spiranthus sinensis (Pers.) Ames 1.Plant 2.Flower 3.Bract 4. Dorsal sepal 5.Petal 6.Lateral sepal 7.Lip 8.Column 9.Anther cap 10.Pollinarium (Drawn by A.N.Rao)


21

Anoectochilus roxburghii - leaves Anoectochilus roxburghii - infl orescence

Herpysma longicaulis Goodyera procera

PLATE -6

22


Cheirostylis moniliformis Cheirostylis gunnarii

Odontochilus elwesii Odontochilus lanceolatus

PLATE -7


23

Hetaeria affi nis Spiranthes sinenensis

Zeuxine lindleyana Zeuxine pulchra

PLATE -8

24


sectile, clavate, with a common viscidium; rostellum erect bifi d at apex to accommodate viscidium. Stig-mata 2, lateral to the base of the rostellum.

This is a genus of about 40 species distributed in Tropical Asia, Australia and Polynesia. In India it is represented by 15 species of which 7 are found in Arunachal Pradesh.

Key to the species

1a. Mesochile of lip with entire or shortly dented margins……..… A. brevilabris1b. Mesochile of lip pectinate or deeply fi mbriate at margins.….. A. roxburghii

1. Anoectochilus brevilabris Lindl. Gen. Sp. Orch. : 499. 1840; Kataki et al. in Pl. Cons. Bull. 5 : 3. 1984; A.N. Rao in S.P. Vij. (ed.) Biol. Cons. Cult. Orch. 325. 1986. A.griffi thii Hk.f. Fl. Brit. Ind. 6:96.1890. A.sikkimensis King et Pantl. In J. As. Soc. Bengal 65 (2) : 124. 1896. A.luteus Lindl. : A.N.Rao in J.Econ. Tax. Bot. 24(2):262. 2000.

Small, decumbent herbs found growing on humus forest fl oor at an elevation of about 6000 feet.

Plants upto 15 cm tall. Laves 2 or 3, ovate, acute, with petioles of sheathing bases, scattered on the base of the stem at 0.5 cm intervals. Scape up to 12 cm long, erect, with 2 or 3 lanceolate acuminate tubular sheaths at long intervals, puberulous. Spike terminal, 3-5 fl owered, lax. Flowers about 1 cm long, greenish brown with white lip. Bract 5 x 2 mm, ovate-lanceolate, acute-acuminate, shorter than the ovary. Dorsal sepal 4 x 2.5 mm, ovate, acute, hooded with petals. Lateral sepals 4 x 2 mm, ovate-lanceolate, acute, spreading. Petals 3.5 x 1.5 mm, oblanceolate, beaked on the outer margin. Lip about 1 cm long; epichile bilobed, lobes obliquely obovate; mesochile short, with short dented margins; spur short, conical.

Flowering : August.

Occurrence : West Kameng district : Sessa, Hegde 3882; Munna Camp, Hegde 1384; Khellong, Hegde 3147; Dirang, A.N. Rao 16020. Tirap district : Khonsa, A.N. Rao 16029 (Orchid Herbarium, Tipi.).

Distribution : India (West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam,

Arunachal Pradesh), and Bhutan.

2. Anoectochilus roxburghii (Wall.) Lindl. Gen. Sp. Orch. : 499. 1840; Biswas in Ind. For. Rec. 3(1) : 49. 1940; Hegde in Arun. For. News 3 : 2. 1980 (Var. regalis); Kataki et al. in Pl. Cons. Bull. 5 : 3. 1984. Chrysopaphus roxburghii Wall. Tent. Fl. Nepal. 37. Fig. 27. 1826.

Terrestrial decumbent herbs growing on the decayed leaf litter of wet evergreen subtropical forests at an elevation of about 1100 m.

Plants up to 20 cm tall. Rhizome 4 mm thick, fl eshy, producing solitary roots from nodes at distant intervals. Leaves 2.5-6.0 x 1.5-3.0 cm, ovate, acute, with short econdus petioles, clasping the stem with broad sheathing bases, dark greenish purple reticulated with yellow veins, velvetly. Scape terminal, erect, pubescent, pinkish, with 2 or 3 lanceolate, acuminate sterile bracts at distant intervals. Spike 3-5 fl owered, lax. Flowers 2 cm long, greenish purple with white lip, pubescent. Bracts longer than the ovaries, laceo-late, acuminate, pink. Dorsal sepal 7 x 4 mm, ovate, subacute, glandular hairy externally, 1-nerved, sparsely gland dotted, adherent to the petals and farming a hood above the column. Lateral sepals 9 x 3 mm, obliquely oblong-lanceolate, subacute, glandular hairy externally; 1-nerved, sparsely gland dotted . Petals 7 x 2 mm, oblong acute, falcate, 1-nerved, sparsely gland dotted. Lip 10 mm long; hypochile adnate to the column at lateral margins; mesochile with a nar-row median channel on the disc; epichile bilobed; lobules oblong, obtuse. Spur conical-elongate, ca. 8 mm long, cleft at apex, with 2 stalked calli on the lateral walls inside towards the mouth. Column 4 mm long, broad, with narrow vertical wings at front; anther ovate, acute; pollinia 2, clavate, attached to a small elliptic viscidium. Rostellum short, acute, simple. Stigmas 2, lateral.


Occurrence : West Kameng district : Sessa, A.N. Rao 77241 (ASSAM); Tipi, A.N. Rao (Orchid Herbarium, Tipi).

Distribution : India (all N.E.states except Tripura), Bhutan, Thailand, China, Laos, Vietnam.

25


10. ODONTOCHILUS Bl.

[Coll. Des Orch. Remarq. Archip. Ind. Jap.1858]

The genus consists of about 29 species distrib-uted in Asia, Malaysia, Polynesia and adjacent islands. In India, there are about 5 species and all of them are found in Arunachal Pradesh.

Key to the species

1a. Mesochile of lip with entire or shortly dented margins……..….… A. crispus1b. Mesochile of lip pectinate or deeply fi mbriate at margins………………… 22a. Ovary glabrous…….……..………………… 32b. Ovary pubescent….……..………………… 43a. Epichile lobes of lip yellow; spur globose, didymous, septate inside…………………. A. lanceolatus 3b. Epichile lobes of lip white; spur oblong, not bifi d, without septum inside ……………….. A. grandifl orus4a. Petals deltoid. Spur septate; stigmas 2, confl uent ………………. A. elwesii 4b. Petals oblong. Spur not septate; stigma 1, ventral ..………………… A. tortus

1. Odontochilus crispus (Lindl.) Hk. f. fl . Brit. Ind. 6 : 99. 1890. Anoectochilus crispus Lindl. in J. Linn. Soc. 1 : 180. 1857; King et Pantl. In Ann. Roy. Bot. Gard. Calcutta 8 : 297. Pl. 395. 1898; Kataki et al. in Pl. Cons. Bull. 5 : 3. 1984.

Kataki et al. (loc.cit.) reported this species from Arunachal Pradesh without any exact locality. No col-lections are available in local herbaria for the study.

Distribution : India (W. Bengal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh , Meghalaya, Nagaland ), Burma.

2. Odontochilus lanceolotus (Lindl.) Bl. : Hk. f. Fl. Brit. Ind. 6 : 101. 1890. Anoectochilus lanceolatus Lindl. Gen. Sp. Orch. : 499. 1840; King et Pantl. In Ann. Roy. Bot. Gard. Calcutta 8 : 295. Pl. 392. 1898; Kataki et al in Pl. Cons. Bull. 5 : 3. 1984. Hegde et A.N. Rao in Ind. J. For. 7 : 76. 1984.

Decumbent terrestrial herb found growing on decayed wood and humus in wet wet evergreen sub-

tropical forest fl oor at at elevation of 1100 m.

Plants up to 22 cm tall. Leaves 3-5 x 1-2 cm, ovate-oblong or lanceolate-elliptic, acute, green with 3 white median nerves, petiole with sheathing bases. Scape erect, pubescent. Raceme terminal, 5-10 fl ow-ered, lax. Flowers about 2 cm long, with green sepal, petals and bright yellow lip. Dorsal sepal 3.5 x 2 mm, ovate-oblong, acute, aherect with petals to form a hood over the column. Petals about 4.4 x 2 mm, obovate-oblanceolate, subacute, coherent at tips. Lip about 10 mm long; hypochile saccate, didymons with 2 villi inside; mesochile 5-8 unequal fi mbriate; api-chile bilobed, lobes subrectangular, wavy at margins. Column short. Ovary about 1 cm long, pubescent.

Flowering : August.

Occurrence : West Kameng District : Sessa, A.N. Rao 4462 (Orchid Herbarium, Tipi).

Distribution : Iindia (West Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya ), Thailand, Vietnam.

3. Odontochilus grandifl orus (Lindl.) Hk.f. Fl. Brit. Ind. 6: 100, 1890. Anoectochilus grandifl orus Lindl. in J. Proc. Linn. Soc. Bot. 1 : 179. 1857; Kataki et al. in Pl. Cons. Bull. 5 : 3. 1984; Hegde et A.N. Rao in Ind. J. For. 10 : 191. 1987.

Decumbent herb found growing in association with Chrysoglossum Sp. On rich humus forest fl oor in subtropical forest at an elevation of 1100 m.

Plants about 30 cm long. Roots hairy, arising solitary from prostate stem nodes. Leaves 4-6, 3-6 x 2-3 cm, ovate-oblong, acute, long petioled with sheathing bases. Scape erect, pubescent, many fl ow-ered, lax. Flowers 1.5-2.0 cm long, greenish brown sepals with white nerves and white lip. Bracts lan-ceolate, acuminate, shorter than the ovary. Dorsal sepal 3.5 x 2 mm, ovate-lanceolate, acute-acuminate, forming hood with petals. Lateral sepals 7 x 2.5 mm, oblong-lanceolate, acute, bases covering the saccate hypochile ofl ip. Petals 4 x 1 mm, falcately lanceolate, acuminate. Lip 8 mm long, hypochile globular, with curved brownish villi inside; mesochile with 5 pairs of pale yellow fi mbriate; epichile 6 mm broad when spread-out, 2-lobed, lobes subquadrate, with undulate margins, gland dotted. Column short; anther cap


26

ovate, red; rostellum forked at apex, white; stigma ventral; ventral proceses 2, purple oblong. Ovary curved, purplish green.

Flowering : July.

Occurrence : West Kameng district : Sessa, A.N. Rao 9256 (Orchid Herbarium, Tipi).

Distribution : India (Sikkim, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh). Endemic.

4. Odontochilus elwesii Clarke ex Hk. f. Fl. Brit. Ind. 6 : 100. 1890. Anoectochilus elwesii (Clarke ex Hk. f.) King et Pantl. In Ann. Roy. Bot. Gard. Calcutta 8 : 296. Pl. 1898. Hegde et A.N. Rao in J. Econ. Tax. Bot. 4 : 384. 1983.

Small herb found growing on humus forest fl oor in sub tropical ever green forest at an elevation of 1100 m.

Plants up to 20 cm tall. Leaves 3 or 4, 3-6 x 1.5-2.5 cm, brown, ovate, acute, petioled with sheathing bases. Scape pubescent, with 2 sterile bracts. Flowers 2 or 3, 3 cm long, pubescent, with greenish brown sepals and white lip. Bract 12 x 5 mm, ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, pubescent, shorter than the ovary. Dorsal sepal 7 x 3 mm, ovate, acute, hooded, pubescent. Lateral sepals 10 x 3 mm, oblong, acute, pubescent. Petals 7 x 2.5 mm, ovate-lanceolate, acuminate. Lip 23 mm long; hypochile globular, didymous, with 2 calli inside; mesochile with 4 pairs of short fi mbriate and short dents on the fl anges; epichile 2-lobed, white, lobes squirish, undulate. Column short.

Flowering : July.

Occurrence : West Kameng district : Sessa, Hegde 4293, 4363 (orchid Herbarium, Tipi).

Distribution : India (West Bengal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya), Bhutan, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam.

5. Odonotochilus tortus King et Pantl. In Journ. As. Soc. Bengal. 65 : 125. 1896.

Anoectochilus tortus (King et Pantl.) King et Pantl. In Ann. Roy. Bot. Gard. Calcutta 8 : 298. Pl. 396. 1898; A.N. Rao in S.P. Vij (ed.) Biol. Cons. Cult. Orch. 325, 1986.

Terrestrial decumbent herbs, growing on thick humus forest fl oor in tropical zone at an elevation of about 250 m.

Plants 30 cm high with infl orescence (King et Pantl. Describe the plants up to 18 cm only). Prostrate stem 4 mm thick, nodes, with a single, long slender hairy root from each node. Leaves about six, varying in size, 4.5-7-5 x 2.5-4.0 mm, ovate, acute, distinctly 3 – to 5 nerved (King et Pantl. And Seidenf. describe as 3 – distinct nerved); petiole 0.8-2.5 mm long, loosely sheathing at base, secundus. Infl orescence a terminal spike with a short scape having 1 or 2 reduced sterile bracts and a large foliar bract, ca. 9 cm, long, upto twelve lax fl owered (King et Pantl. Describe as only 4 cm long and 3 – to 6 fl owered); axis sparsely shortly hairy. Floral bracts 10.0 x 4.5 mm, ovate, acuminate, shorter than the ovary, sparsely hairy without and at margins, 1-nerved, sparsely gland dotted. Ovary 12.0 x 1.5 mm, sessile, sparsely hairy. Dorsal sepal 7 x 3 mm, ovate-lanceolate, acute, concave, sparsely hairy without. Lateral sepals 9 x 3 mm, oblong, obtuse, ensheathing the sac of the lip at base, sparsely hairy without. Petals 7.0 x 2.5 mm, subfalcately rhomboid, acute, erect, adherent to the dorsal sepal forming a hood over the column. Lip 17 x 12 mm, much longer than the other perianth parts, exerted, porrect, sub-globose saccate at the base; epichile 2-einged; wings ca. 7 x 5 mm, divergent, longer than the mesochile pectines, subquadrate, truncate and irregularly crenate at apical margins inner margins run down to the base of the mesochile as two erect lamellaeleaving a chan-nel in between; mesochile ca. 7 x 2 mm, pectinate, with 6 or 7 pairs of unequal pectines (King et Pantl. Mention “ the claw with nine unequal teeth on each margin” ).Spur 2.5 mm in econdu, subglobose, with two subequally trilobed calli within, one on each side of the lateral walls. Column 5 mm long, with large terminal anther and a solitary stigma with two short subterminal upturned stigmatic processes below the stigma; rostellum forked at apex, wingd towards base; pollinia 2, sectile, united at the psedo caudicular region ending in a narrow ovate disc.

Flowering : August.

Occurrence : Tirap district : Nisa to Niusa, G. Pani-grahi 14850 (ASSAM).


27

Distribution : India (Arunachal Pradesh ), Bhutan.

11. RHOMBODA Lindl.

[ in J.Linn. Soc. Bot.1:181,1857 ]

Decumbent herbs. Leaves green suffused with red or bronze. Raceme few to many fl owered. Flowers resupinate or non-resupinate. Lateral sepals spreading. Dorsal sepal and petals forming a hood. Lip 3 or 4 lobed, with large hypochile, partially connate with column margins at base, with 2 elliptic sessile ap-pendages and medial bicarinate callus inside hypochile and 2 fl anges on exterior surface; mesochile absent or very short; epichile entire or 2-lobed. Column clavate, winged. Rostellum slender. Stigma 2. Pol-linia 2, sectile.

The genus comprises of about 25 species dis-tributed from Nepal , Bhutan, N.E.India China, Burma, Thailand, SE.Asia to N.E.Australia. 3 species are found in India and two in Arunachal Pradesh.

Key to the species

1a. Hypochile with 2 diamond shaped calli………………………. R. arunachalensis1b. Hypochile with 3 forked calli…..…R.lanceolata

1. Rhomboda arunachalensis A.N.Rao in J.Econ. Tax. Bot. 22(2):426,1998.

Stem decumbent, fl eshy, 4 mm thick, green tinged brown. Leaves 2.5 – 6.5 X 1.3 – 3.0 cm, ovate-elliptic, acute, sheathing at base. Raceme about 8 cm lone, shortly pubescent, lax, 7-8 flowered. Flowers about 1 cm long, resupinate, pubescent on bract and ovary; sparsely pubescent on sepala outside. Bract about 10 X 5 mm, ovate, acuminate, 1-nerved, sparsely gland dotted. Sepals about 7 X 4 mm, ovate-lanceolate, acute; dorsal with petals forming a hood; laterals spreading. Petals 7 X 4 mm, ovate-oblong, acute, subfalcate. Lip 8 X 5 mm ; hypochile 4 X 6 when spread out, saccate, transversely oblong and obtuse at margins, with 2 diamond shaped fl at calli at base and one median oblong slightly curved callus towards apex, with a narrow vertical fl ange on each side of external surface; mesochile 1 mm long, narrow with incuved margins ; epichile 2-lobed, 3 X 5 mm;

lobes transversely rectangular with undulate, incurved margins. Column 4 X 3 mm, with 2 vertical wings on ventral surface which are united at lower ends to form a ledge; anther cap about 2.5 mm long, ovate, cordate at base : pollinia in 2 groups, sectile, attached to a small disc; rostellum small, triangular, forked; stigma 2, circular, rugose, on upper lateral margins of column. Ovary 12 X 3 mm, twisted, with a long beak, pubescent.

Flowering : Nov. – Dec.

Occurrence : India, Arunachal Pradesh, Kimi, A.N.Rao 29426 (Orchid Herbarium,Tipi).

Distribution : India (Arunachal Pradesh), endemic.

2. Rhomboda lanceolata (Lindl.) Ormd. In Orchad-ian 11(7):329.1995. Dossinia lanceolata Lindl. In J. Proc. Linn. Soc. Bot. 1:186.1857. Zeuxine abbreviata sensu Hk. F. Fl. Brit. India 6 : 109. 1890, non (Lindl.) Hk.f.

Decumbent terrestrial herb found growing on wet evergreen subtropical forest fl oor covered with rich humus at an elevation of about 3500 feet.

Plant about 25 cm tall. Leaves upto 5, about 3.5 x 1.0 cm, ovate-lanceolate, acute, with short petiole and sheathing base. Scape erect, about 20 cm long, with 3 tubular sterile bracts at distant intervals, pubescent. Spike many fl owered, lax. Flowers, 1 cm long. Bracts 7 x 2 mm, lanceolate, acuminate, longer than the ovary. Sepals and petals about 4 mm long, subequal, lateral sepals spreading; petals oblanceolate, obtuse, 1-nerved. Lip about 3 mm long; hypochile 2 mm long, with 2 forked calli on lateral walls inside and 1 median lamella; epichile curved back.


Occurrence : West Kameng district : Sessa, Hegde 3882 (Orchid Herbarium, Tipi).

Distribution : India : West Bengal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya), Nepal, Bhutan.

12. ZEUXINE Lindl.

[ coll. Bot. Append. (n.18) 1826 (?1825) (Zeuxine); corr. J. Roeper in Linnaea 2 : 528. 1827 (orth. &

nom. Cons.) ]

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Small terrestrial herbs with decumbent stem. Leaves many, scattered on stem. Raceme lax or dense fl ow-ered. Flowers small. Sepals free, subequal; dorsal forming a hood with narrow petals. Lip attached to the base of the column; epichile entire or bilobed; mesochile very short without flanges; hypochile saccate, with simple or forked villi inside. Column short; rostellum deeply bifi d; stigma 2, lateral; ventral appendages indistinct or prominent.

The genus consists of about 50 species distributed in Africa and Asia. About 16 species are reported so far from India of which 7 are found in Arunachal Pradesh.

Key to the species

1a. Leaves long, linear, grass-like………………… 21b. Leaves short and broad, not grass-like..…….. 32a. Epichile of lip simple ; hypochile without any calli inside.………. .. Z. lindleana2b. Epichile of lip bilobed ; hypochile with 2 calli inside.………… Z. strateumatica 3a. Epichile of lip broadened into indistinct lobes……………….. Z. goodyeroides3b. Epichile of lip broadened into two distinct lobes……….…………………… 44a. Leaves thick, blacish purple ……….. Z.pulchra4b. Leaves thin, green …...…………..………….. 55a. Lobes of epichile quadrate or rectangular with a low sinus inbetween….….………..…. 6 5b. Lobes of epichile obovate with long narrow bases and deep ‘V’ shaped sinus in between.. ..……………………………… Z. longilabris 6a. Lip epichile bright yellow …….……… Z. fl ava 6b. Lip epichile white…………………………77a. Epichile lobules broader at base; villi inside hypochile simple……. Z.clandestina 7b. Epichile lobules narrower at base; villi inside hypochile forked….......…Z. affi nis

1. Zeuxine lindleyana Negeswara Rao in Arunachal For. News 6 (1) : 34. 1988; Sarat Misra in J. Orch. Soc. India 3(1-2) : 70. 1989.

Small erect herb found in lawns amidist short grasses and Ophioglossum species at an altitude rang-ing from 600-2500 feet.

Plants 3-12 cm long. Under ground rhizome vertical or sub-horizontal, very long and unbranched,

distantly or shortly econd, with hyaline bracts at nodes and a solitary root covered with hair. Stem pink, with 2 or 3 pink bracts towards base. Leaves 1.5 x 5.0 – 5 x 0.4 cm, linear, acuminate, sessile, sheathing at base, with prominent midvein, green turning to reddish brown. Spike 1-4 cm long, 3-20 fl owered, dense. Flowers about 1 cm long, facing all sides of the spike, partly opening. Bracts 6-20 x 2-5 mm, ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, longer than the ovary, 1-3 nerved, pale green tinged pink, hyaline at margin. Dorsal sepal 4-6 x 2-3 mm, ovate, subacute, 3-veined, forming hood with the petals, saccate at base, pale green towards base and white fl ushed with pink in distal half. Lateral sepals 3-4.5 x 1-2 mm, ovate-lanceolate, acute, 1-veined. Petals 4-5 x 1-1.5 mm, ovate-lanceolate, acute to acuminate, subundu-late at distal half margins, concave, white with green tinge at base and pinkish towards apex. Column 2 mm long, brownish red on ventral surface. Anther cap orange yellow.

Flowering : January - February

Occurrence : West Kameng district : Tipi, A.N. Rao 6496 A-B, 6500 (Orchid Herbarium,Tipi), A.N. Rao 6145 (ASSAM); Tenga Valley, A.N. Rao 18598 (Orchid Her-barium, Tipi).

Distribution : India (Arunachal Pradesh, Orissa), Endemic.

2. Zeuxine strateumatica (L.) Schltr. In Engl. Bot. Jahrb. 45 : 394. 1911; Kataki et al. in Plant. Cons. Bull. 5 : 34. 1984. Orchis strateumatica L. Sp. Pl. 943. 1753. Zeuxine sulcata (Roxb.) Lindl. : Biswas in Ind. For. Rec. 3(1) : 51. 1940.

Small erect annual herb found growing in lawns among small grasss at an elevation of about 600 feet.

In vegetative characters it is less similar to above species Z. lindleyana. However, fl owers smaller, white. Lip hypochile saccate with 2 villi on inside walls; epichile broadened at apex into 2 distant lobes.

Flowering : January.

Occurrence : Kameng district : Aka Hills, N.L. Bor. 16610 (ASSAM).


Distribution : India (Wide spread through-out the country in W. Himalaya, E. Himalaya and South India), from Afganistan to Japan and South to New Guinea.

3. Zeuxine goodyeroides Lindl.. Gen. Sp. Orch. 486. 1840; Burkil in Rec. Bot. Surv. Ind. 10 (1) : 380. 1924; Hegde et Rao in Ind. Journ. For. 7 : 79. 1984.

Decumbent herb found growing on thick hu-mus in wet evergreen subtropical forest at elevation of 1100 metre.

Plants upto 15 cm tall. Leaves about 4, 2.5-4.0 x 1-2 cm, ovate-lanceolate, acute, with short petiole and sheathing base, green with white band along the midvein. Scape about 10 cm long, pubescent, with 2 or 3 small infundibular sterile bracts at distant in-tervals. Spike upto 10 fl owered. Flowers about 1 cm long, white with purple tinge. Bract about 4 mm long, ovate-lanceolate, acute, shorter than the ovary. Sepals about 4 x 1.5 mm, subequal, lanceolate, subacute; dorsal forming hood with petals; laterals spreading. Petals about 4 x 1 mm, falcately oblanceolate, acute, 1-nerved. Lip 3-3.5 mm long, shorter than the sepals; hypochile with 3 lamellae; epichile subuniform, lateral margins infolded. Column short.


Occurrence : West kameng district : Sessa, A.N. Rao 4752 (Orchid Herbarium Tipi).

Distribution : India ( West Bengal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya ) , Bhutan.

4. Zeuxine pulchra King et Pantl. In J. Asiat. Soc. Bengal 65(2):127. & in Ann. Roy. Bot. Gard. Calcutta 8:286,Pl.380.1898.

Small terrestrial herb growing on rich humus in wet evergreen subtropical forest at 1200 m altitude.

Plants upto 10 cm tall. Stem decumbent, with a solitary root at each node towards base. Leaves upto 4, fl eshy, thich, 3.0 X 2.5 cm, Ovate, acute, blackish purple with white midvein. Raceme rachis brownish purple, pubescent, 3-4 fl owered. Flowers small, white to pale brown.

Flowering : July – Aug.

Occurrence : W.Kameng district, Sessa (plants under

cultivation at Sessa ).

Distribution : India ( Sikkim, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh ), Endemic.

5. Zeuxine longilabris (Lindl.) Benth. ex Hk. f. Fl. Brit. India 6 : 107. 1890; Kataki et al. in Plant Cons. Bull. 5 : 34. 1984; Hegde et Rao in Ind. J. For. 10(3) : 197. 1987. Monochilus longilabris Lindl. Gen. Sp. Orch. 487. 1840.

Decumbent terrestrial herb found growing on humus covered forest fl oor in mixed deciduous tropi-cal forest at an elevation of 200 m.

Plants up to 25 cm tall with inflorescence. Leaves up to 5, lanceolate, acute, turning in to cop-per brown while fl owering. Scape up to 5, lanceolate, acute, turning into copper brown while fl owering. Scape about 8 cm long, slender, pubescent, with 2 or 3 tubular sheathing bracts at distant intervals. Spike erect, lax fl owered, pubescent. Flowers about 2 cm long, pubescent. Bract as long as the ovary, pubes-cent. Dorsal sepal 7 x 2 mm, ovate-lanceolate , acute. Lateral sepals 5.5 x 2 mm, spreading. Petals 7 x 1.5 mm, oblong. Lip about 9 mm long; hypochile with 2 curved villi; epichile with 2 long clawed lober with deep narrow sinus inbetween. Column about 2 mm long, with indistant swellings on ventral side.

Flowering : March.

Occurrence : East Kameng district : Dibru, Haridasan 13676(Orchid Herbarium, Tipi).

Distribution : India (Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala), Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, Cambodia.

6. Zeuxine fl ava (Lindl.) Hook. F. Fl. Brit. Ind. 6 : 108. 1890; Biswas in Ind. For. Rec. 3(1) : 52. 1940; Kataki et al in Pl. Cons. Bull. 5 : 34. 1984. Monochilus fl avum Lindl. Gen. Sp. Orch. 487. 1840.

Small terrestrial herb found growing on humus forest fl oor of mixed tropical forest at an elevation of about 200 metre.

Plants upto 30 cm tall with decumbent stem. Leaves up to 6, withered while plant in fl owering, 1-2.5 x 0.5-1.0 mm, ovate-lanceolate, acute, with

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short petiole and sheathing base. Scape pubescent, with 2 sterile pubescent bracts at distant interval. Spike 10-15 fl owered, secundus, lax. Flowers about 1 cm long. Sepals about 3 x 1.5 mm, ovate-lanceolate, subacute, adherent with dorsal sepals, pale gren or white. Lip about 4 mm long; hypochile orange col-oured with 2 villi inside; epichile 2-lobed, lobes 2 x 1.5 mm, oblong, obtuse, white, forming obtuse angle when spreaded. Column short, with 2 pale brown thickenings on front face; rostellar arms white.

Flowering : February.

Occurrence : West Kameng district : Tipi, S.N. Hegde 7630, A.N. Rao 7630-A (Orchid Herbarium, Tipi).

Distribution : India ( Uttar Pradesh, Sikkim?, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland), Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Burma, Thailand.

7. Z.clandestina Bl. Coll. Orch. Arch. Ind. 70,T.39, f.4. 1858; A.N.Rao, Ind. For. 122 (12) : 1172,1996.

Stem erect, upto 25 cm tall. Leaves about 3.5 X 1.5 cm, ovate-lanceolate, acute. Scape erect, pubescent, few fl owered. Flowers with green sepals and white lip, with white indumentum on sepals and ovary.Lip epichile with squarish lobes; hypochile with 2 teeth like villi inside.

Flowering : March.

Occurrence : Changlang district, Namdapha national park, Moti jheel (300 m), A.N.Rao 28265, 28337 (Orchid Herbarium Tipi).

Distribution : India ( Kerala, Arunachal Pradesh), Thailand, Malaya and Java.

8. Zeuxine affi nis (Lindl.) Benth. ex Hk. f. Fl. Brit. Ind. 6 : 108. 1890; Kataki et al in Pl. Cons. Bull. 5 : 34. 1984. Monochilus affi nis Lindl. Gen. Sp. Orch. 487. 1840 (P.P.).

Small herb found growing on humus in the mixed deciduous tropical forest at an elevation of about 150 metre.

Plants about 20 cm tall. Leaves turning brown while plant in fl ower, 2-3 x 0.5-1.0 cm, ovate-lanceo-late, acute. Scape erect, pubescent, with 2 or 3 sterile bracts at short intervals. Spike about 10 fl oweredm

dense. Flowers up to 8 mm long. Bract about 8 x 1 mm, as long as the ovary. Sepals and petals subequal, 3 mm long; petals slightly narrower, oblong-oblanceo-late, 1-nerved. Lip 3 mm long; hypochile saccate with 2 recurved villi; epichile 2-lobed, lobules quadrate, 1 x 1 mm, white, wavy at margins. Column short, 2 mm long, with 2 indistinct thickenings on ventral surface.

Flowering : April.

Ocurrence : Papumpare district : Chessa, Haridasan 573 (APFH).

Distribution : India ( West Bengal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Orissa), Bhutan, Burma, Bangladesh, Malaya, Thailand, Laos.

CONCLUSION

The subfamily Spiranthoideae Dressl. is rep-resented by 43 species of 12 genera in Arunachal Pradesh. Among the 12 genera, Goodyera is the larg-est with 13 species followed by Zeuxine (8 spp.), Cheirostylis (6 spp.) and Odontochilus (5spp.). 3 genera viz. Anoectochilus, Erythrodes and Rhomboda are represented by 2 species each while the remaining 5 genera viz. Chamaegastrodia, Herpysma, Hetaeria, Myrmechis and Spiranthes are represented by 1 species each in the state.

From the literature consultation it is evident that, so far, 7 new species viz. Cheirostylis gunnarii Nageswara Rao, C.munnacampensis Nageswara Rao, C.sessanica Nageswara Rao, C.tippica Nageswara Rao, Erythrodes seshagiriana Nageswara Rao, Rhamboda arunachalensis Nageswara Rao and Zeuxine lindleyana ( Nageswara Rao 1988a, 1988b, 1991a,1997b, 1997d, 1998) have been reported under Spiranthoideae from Arunachal Pradesh. However, among them two spe-cies viz. Cheirostylis munnacampensis and Erythrodes seshagiriana are reduced to synonyms of Cheirostylis yunnanensis and Erythrodes hirsutus respectively. Two species viz. Chamaegastrodia shikokiana and Cheirosty-lis yunnanensis are new additions to Indian fl ora from Arunchal Pradesh (Nageswara Rao, 1995c, 2002 ).

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Sincere thanks are due to Shri B.S.Sajwan,IFS, PCCF & Principal Secretary, Dept. of Environment and Forests; Dr. Pradeep Chaudhry, IFS, Director,


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SFRI, Govt. of Arunachal Pradesh for encouragement and facilities.

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a review on spiranthoideae genera in arunachal pradesh

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