Orchidaceae Family in Imphal East, Manipur

IJIRST –International Journal for Innovative Research in Science & Technology| Volume 1 | Issue 9 | February 2015 ISSN (online): 2349-6010

Laiphrakpam Linthoingambi Ajit Kumar Das Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences Assam University, Assam, India Assam University, Assam, India

Ghosh S.K. P. K. Singh Department of Life Sciences Department of Applied Science Assam University, Assam, India Manipur University,Imphal, Manipur

Abstract

Orchids are herbaceous plants found mostly as epiphytic, terrestrial and saprophytic, belonging to the familyOrchidaceae constituting the second largest family in flowering plants under the order Asparagles. They are cosmopolitan throughout the world with an about 10,000 genera, and 25,000- 35,000 species. They are in high demand due to their extraordinary flowers which exhibit an incredible range of diversity in shape, size and the colour of their flowers. The present paper deals with the survey conducted on Orchid flora in the ImphalEast, Manipur. During the survey a total of 34 orchid species belonging to 18 genera were recorded. Keywords: Orchidaceae, Cosmopolitan, Asparagles, Imphal East, Manipur ______

I. INTRODUCTION

The family Orchidaceae is one of the largest and highly evolved families of angiosperms (Chase 2005), consisting of nearly 25,000 species with more than 850 genera. (Stewart & Griffith, 1995; Guitierrez, 2010) The estimate of number of orchid species existing in India varies from 1,141 (Kumar and Manilal 1994) to 1,600 (Medhi and Chakrabarti 2009). They are cultivated for their beautiful flowers and widely known for their economic importance and very less for their medicinal uses. They are distributed throughout the world, except the hot desert and Antarctica. Due to their range of diversity in shape, size and colour of flowers and comprising of herbaceous plants, characterized by distinct floral morphology, pollination mechanism, association with unique fungal partners (mychorrhizae) and miniscule seeds they are consider to be the highly advanced family in monocots. Orchids are classified into saprophytic, terrestrial, epiphytic and lithophytic. They are usually perennial herb racemose inflorescence, with sympodial stems, simple leaves [Abraham & Vatsala (1981); Holttum (1977)]. Their seeds are very small and light, and with the help of wind they dispersed and if fall into some new environmental condition, they either die or try to bring some genotypic change to adapt to the new environment. The orchid species are listed as threatened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List than species from any other plant family (IUCN, 1999). All orchid species with charismatic ornamental flowers and therapeutic properties are highly endangered due to their over exploitation and are thus listed in Appendix II of the Convention of International Trade in Endangered species of Fauna and Flora (CITES).Despite this, the medicinal and ornamental orchids are still illegally traded using their parts or even fragments, which cannot be identified using traditional taxonomic methods. Manipur is one of the states in North-eastern-India with its capital in Imphal and geographically it comes under the Southeast Asia region. The climate of Manipur is largely influenced by the topography of the hilly region which defines the geography of Manipur and one of the diverse floras which had been present abundantly is the orchidaceae i.e., the orchid family. About 300 species belonging to 69 genera of the family Orchidaceae have been reported from this state. Vanda coerulea (Blue vanda) and Rananthera imschootiana (Red vanda) are included in schedule VI (plants) of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (Deb, 1961). Study of 150 taxa in orchids of Manipur also had been carried out (Devi,1986). Among the highly threatened species of orchids specified in Schedule-VI of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, three species namely, Blue vanda (Vanda Coerulea) (Kwaklei), Red vanda (Renanthera imschootiana) (Kwaklei Angangba) and Lady,s Slipper (Paphiopedilum spp.) (Khongup Lei) and also three other orchid species endemic to Manipur, namely– Ascocentrum ampullaceum var.auruanticum (Nachom Lei), Schoenorchis manipurensis and Kalimpongia narjitii are at present being preserved at the Khonghampat Orchidarium Centre ((Priyobar,1999).

II. RESULT & DISCUSSION

Extensive survey works was carried in the hills of Manipur particularly in the selected study sites viz., Nongmaijing hill and jirimukh hill of Imphal East during the tenure of October 2011 to December 2012. The study was carried out by following the Chase’s method of Orchidaceae classification (Chase 2005). For correct identification all the collected specimens were critically

All rights reserved by www.ijirst.org 183 Orchidaceae Family in Imphal East, Manipur (IJIRST/ Volume 1 / Issue 9 / 031) examined with the help of Manuals of Orchid, Flora of Arunachal Pradesh, Flora of Manipur, Orchids of India, BSI, Eastern Shillong. From the survey conducted, 34 Orchid species belonging to 18 genera were found. Table – 1 Orchid diversity of Imphal East in alphabetical order with scientific name, habitat, host plant flowering season and survey conducted. Flowering Places where survey Scientific Name Habitat Host plant Season conducted July – Nongmaiching Hill & Acampe longifolia Lindley Epiphyte Bauhainia purpurea, Castanopsis sps August Jiribam Acampe papillosa Lindley Epiphyte Castanopsis sps, Schima wallichii Aug – Sept Nongmaiching hill Aerides fieldingii Lodd ex E. Epiphyte Mangifera indica, Terminalia tomentosa May – June Jirimukh Morren Aerides multiforum Roxb. Epiphyte Artocarpus integrifolia June – July Jirimukh Aerides odoratum Lour Epiphyte Schima wallichii, Cedrella tooma, Dalbergia sisoo May – June Jirimukh Ascocentrum ampullaceum Castanopsis sps., Terminalia belerica, Syzygium Epiphyte Mar – May Nongmaiching hill (Roxb.) Schltr. cumini Brachycorythis obcordata Terrestrial May- July Nongmaiching hill (Lindley) M.R. Almeida Cleisocentron pallens Sept - Jirimukh & (Cathcart ex Lindley) N. Epiphyte Quercus serreta, Litsea polyanthea, Terminalia sps. October Nongmaiching hills Pearce & P.J. Cribb Castanopsis sps., Bauhiania variegate, Mangifera Cleisostoma brevipes Hook.f. Epiphyte August- Sept Nongmaiching hills indica Syzygium cumini, Mangifera indica, Bauhinia Coelogynae suaveolens Hook.f. Epiphyte May-June Jirimukh tenuiflora Cymbidium aloifolium Wall. Epiphyte Schima wallichii, Albizia procera, Dalbergia sisoo April – May Jirimukh Lagerstroemia speciosa, Gmelina arborea, Jirimukh, Sadu chiru Cymbidium giganteum Sw. Epiphyte Oct – Dec Mangifera indica hills & Laimaton. Dendrobium aduncum Lindley Epiphyte Litsea polyanthea, Terminalia myricarpa June – July Jirimukh Dendrobium aggregatum Epiphyte Cedrella tooma, Albizia procera, Castanopsis sps. Mar – April Jirimukh Kunth Dendrobium aphyllum Roxb. Quercus serreta, Terminalia tomentosa, Michelia Syn D. pierardii Roxb. Ex Epiphyte April – May Jirimukh champaca Hook. Mangifera indica, Bauhainia purpurea, Dendrobium chrysanthum Wall Epiphyte Sept – Oct Nongmaiching hill Lagerstroemia speciosa Dendrobium chrysotoxum Castanopsis sps., Cedrella tooma, Michelia Nongmaiching hill & Epiphyte Mar – April Lindley champaca, Mangifera indica, Schima wallichii Jirimukh, Dendrobium fimbriatum Mangifera indica, Lagerstroemia speciosa, Quercus Epiphyte June- July Nongmaiching hills Lindley serreta Dendrobium lituiflorum Bauhainia variegate, Dalbergia sisoo, Syzygium Epiphyte Mar – April Jirimukh Lindley cumini Dendrobium moschatum Wall. Albizia procera, Castanopsis sps., Terminalia Jirimukh, Epiphyte May – June Ex D.Don tomentosa Nongmaiching hill Artocarpus intergrifolia, Castanopsis sps., Mangifera Dendrobium nobile Lindley Epiphyte April – May Nongmaiching hill indica Dendrobium ochreatum Michelia champaca, Cedrella tooma, Terminalia Epiphyte April – May Nongmaiching hill Lindley tomentosa Dendrobium primulinum Epiphyte Castanopsis sps., Mangifera indica, Schima wallichii April – May Nongmaiching hill Lindley Lagerstroemia speciosa, Quercus serreta, Litsea Eria flava Griff. Epiphyte Jan – Feb Jirimukh polyanthea Nervilia aragoana Gaudich. Terrestrial Mar- April Nongmaiching hills Paphiopedilum hirsutissimum Lithophyte April-May Jirimukh Pfitzer Phaius wallichii Lindley Terrestrial Mar – April Nongmaiching hill Mangifera indica, Artocarpus chaplasa, Gmelina Phalaenopsis parishii Rchb.f. Epiphyte Mar – April Jirimukh arborea, Litsea polyanthea Pholidota articulata Lindley Epiphyte Syzygium cumini, Terminalia sps. August- Sept Jirimukh Pholidota imbricata Lindley Epiphyte Bauhiania sps., Cedrella tooma May – July Jirimukh Phoebe hainesiana, Lagerstroemia speciosa, Nongmaiching hills & Renanthera imschootiana Rolfe Epiphytes Mangifera indica, Castanopsis sps., Terminalia sps., April – June Jirimukh Schima wallichii Schima wallichii, Phoebe hainesiana, Lagerstroemia Nongmaiching hills & Rhynchostylis retusa Blume Epiphytes May – June speciosa, Mangifera indica, Castanopsis sps., Jirimukh,

Terminalia sps. Thunia marshalliana Rchb.f Terrestrial May – June Nongmaiching hill Artocarpus chaplasa, Phoebe hainesiana, Vanda coerulea Griff. ex Nongmaiching hills & Epiphytes Lagerstroemia speciosa, Mangifera indica, Sept- Dec Lindley Jirimukh Castanopsis sps., Terminalia sps., Schima wallichii Terminalia sps., Schima wallichii. Phoebe Feb – Nongmaiching hills & Vanda coerulescens Lindley Epiphytes hainesiana, Lagerstroemia speciosa, Mangifera March Jirimukh indica, Castanopsis sps., Lagerstroemia speciosa Mangifera indica, Castanopsis sps., Dalbergia sisoo, Nongmaiching hills & Vanda parviflora Lindley Epiphytes Phoebe hainesiana, Lagerstroemia speciosa, April- May Jirimukh Terminalia sps., Schima wallichii Michelia champaca, Phoebe hainesiana, Nongmaiching hills & Vanda teres Lindley Epiphytes Lagerstroemia speciosa, Mangifera indica, May – June Jirimukh Castanopsis sps., Terminalia sps., Schima wallichii

III. CONCLUSION

Orchid conservation is now a matter of global issue. Protection of valuable orchid species in their natural habitats is a urgent need as orchids are very sensitive to the ecological disturbances. Illegal trade of orchid species from the region should be totally checked. Conservation of orchid can be done by giving awareness programme to community groups and students and by developing more sacred grooves to conserved orchid as an in-situ way. Government should established more conservation centre for orchid as an ex-situ conservation. Training on orchid culture can be provided to the local youth as well as upliftment of the economic status to the local people. Orchids are dependent on their host trees for survival, and hence, deforestation could likely increase the chances of orchids being threatened in their habitats. Deforestation practices pose a major threat for the survival of orchids, as they are greatly dependent on the environmental conditions of the forests that maintain and the host trees on which they grow. It is therefore recommended that deforestation should be discourage, as they do not cause a lot of environmental damage to the natural ecosystem, but also increase the risk of extinction of orchids that depend on them.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The authors like to thank the Department of Forest, Manipur for their help and support during survey work and also for providing a great source of information. Thanks to BSI, Northern Eastern Region, Shillong for helping in Identification of few Orchid species Laiphrakpam Linthoingambi is thankful to Assam University for AUS-UGC Fellowship.

REFERENCE

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