Selbyana 25(1): 23-26. 2004.

RANGE EXTENSION OF EULOPHIA FLAVA (LINDL.) J.D. HOOK. (ORCHIDACEAE) IN

RAHUL J. SHRIVASTAVA Southeast Environmental Research Center, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199 USA. E-mail: [email protected]

ABSTRACT. The westward range extension of the orchid Eulophia fiava (Lindl.) J.D. Hook. in the central Indian state of is described as an addition to the flora of Bori and Wildlife Sanctuaries.

Key words: Eulophia fiava, Madhya Pradesh, Bori, Pachmarhi, range extension, terrestrial orchids

INTRODUCTION ly varied in size and shape and demonstrate al­ most all colors. Terrestrial species of many plants, including orchids, have subterranean tubers or fleshy rhi­ EULOPHIA FLAVA zomes that produce a new shoot each year, when climatic conditions are favorable. Species of the In India, Eulophia flava has been reported mainly terrestrial genus Eulophia R.Br. ex Lindl. from the tall and wet sub-Himalayan Terai grass­ produce two shoots from each underground rhi­ lands of Uttar Pradesh (Mathur et al. 2003), in zome (pseudobulb), one flowering and the other the Indian Himalaya (Thomas 1998, Pradhan leafy. The only two epiphytic species in this ge­ 1979), in. the Travancore region (now in Kerala nus occur in Madagascar (Cribb et al. 2002). state) of south India (Pradhan 1979), and in Cen­ The large genus Eulophia was published in the tral India (Tiwari & Maheshwari 1963, Bhatta­ Edwards's Botanical Register in 1821 and is a charjee 1984). Outside oflndia, E. flava is found conserved name, I.C.B.N. (1983) No. 1648. Eu­ in China, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, and Indo­ lophia has a wide distribution, extending from China (Thomas 1998), in Hong Kong (Thomas the Caribbean to Australia and from the neo­ 1998, Hu 1977), in Vietnam (Averyanov et al. tropics throughout tropical and SUbtropical parts 2003), and in Laos and Cambodia (Pradhan of Asia. The genus is particularly well distrib­ 1979). uted in Africa (Stewart 1996). A total of 230 species are reported worldwide, many of them Study Area and Species Account attractive and showy (Thomas 1998). At least 22 species of Eulophia are known in Previously, accounts of the family Orchida­ India (Bhattacharjee 1984). Most of the species ceae have appeared in the floristic descriptions of this diverse but mainly tropical genus are of various regions of Madhya Pradesh state (Ti­ found below 2200 m. The plants have green wari & Maheshwari 1963, Oommachan 1977, leaves, which are not always visible at flower­ Mukherjee 1984, Verma et al. 1985, Roy et al. ing. The pseudobulb may be underground or up­ 1992, Oommachan & Shrivastava 1996, Sam­ right at or just above the soil-surface. The flow­ vatsar 1996). In Madhya Pradesh, Tiwari and ering stem arises from the mature pseudobulb Maheshwari (1963) reported Eulophia flava in either alongside the leaves or before or after they the open sal (Shorea robusta Gaertn.f.) forests have fully developed. The inflorescence is sim­ of Maharpal, Bastar, Raipur, and MadIa on clay­ ple and upright, often up to 100 cm, but may be loam soils. Among the 778 species of trees, taller and branching as in the case of Eulophia shrubs, and herbs described for the Bori and petersii Rchb.f. in the dry grasslands of Kenya. Pachmarhi reserves, Eulophia explanata Lindl. The flower column in the subtribe Eulophiinae and E. herbacea Lindl. were previously the only represented by Eulophia and five other genera members of the genus Eulophia, and both were may have a prominent foot or wings (Dressler from Pachmarhi (Mukherjee 1984). Eulophia 1993). At the apex of the column, under the an­ ochreata Lindl. then was added to the flora of ther cap, there are always two bright yellow pol­ Madhya Pradesh (Khanna et al. 1999). This spe­ linia attached by a short stipe to a large sticky cies earlier was reported in the flora of neigh­ viscidium (Stewart 1996). The flowers are high- boring Bombay (Santapau & Kapadia 1966). 23 24 SELBYANA Volume 25(1) 2004

FIGURE 1. Eulophia flava blooming in an abandoned teak plantation in the , within the Satpura-Bori Reserve, Madhya Pradesh. India. SHRNASTAVA: EULOPHIA FLAVA IN INDIA 25

During fieldwork in June 1993, the terrestrial phia cullenii C.E.C.Fisch. in Gamble, FI. orchid Eulophia jlava was observed in the Chur­ Madras, 1928: 1435. (non Blume). na area of Bori Wildlife Sanctuary in Hoshan­ Rhizome tuberous, roughly ovoid, 5-6 cm. gabad district of Madhya Pradesh. This locality long, hypogeal; leaves 3, 120 cm. X 10 cm when is ca. 400 kIn west of previous known localities fully grown, developing later than the inflores­ in eastern Madhya Pradesh (Tiwari & Mahesh­ cence. Inflorescence stout, 60-150 cmarising wari 1963). The forests are broadly of the Trop­ from side of leaf-bearing pseudostem, clothed ical Moist Deciduous type (Champion & Seth basally with 2-3 sheathes 10-15 cm long; ra­ 1968). In contrast to the earlier reports of E. jla­ ceme 30-60 cm long; floral bracts 10-20 mm va growing in the moist sal forests of eastern long, ovate, acuminate, much shorter than ova­ Madhya Pradesh, the orchid found in 1993 was ry; flowers many, large, lemon-yellow; sepals 30 growing under teak (Tectona grandis L.f.), the mm long, oblong lanceolate, acuminate; petals dominant tree species in Bori. The climatic con­ shorter, much broader, obtuse or rounded; label­ ditions of the site are drier compared to those in lum 3-lobed, lateral lobes large, erect, rounded, eastern sal forests. Average summer tempera­ midlobe oblong, narrower than lateral lobes; tures are 22°C-40°C, with a winter average min­ disc with three keels ending basally in 2 pyri­ imum of 8°C; and soils vary from coarse sand­ form calli; conical sac present at base of the la­ stone derivatives to extruded or inter-bedded bellum; column 20 mm; long, footed anther with trap and sandy shales (Mukherjee 1984). Drier a long anterior process; flowering June-July. forests are more prone to fire events, and terres­ trial orchids with subterranean rhizomes stand a Tubers of Eulophia jlava are consumed by better chance of surviving. wild pigs, and the plant is used to counter spider The Churna area where the orchid was found poison (C. Kumar, pers. comm.). Open well­ had earlier been clearcut and managed as an ex­ lighted forests with seasonally moist grassland perimental teak-monoculture plantation, which patches on clay-loam soils in the western low­ subsequently was declared a failure and aban­ lying parts of Bori are likely favorable habitat doned. Although overrun by grasses, a roughly for this species. The occurrence of E. jlava in 15-year-old even-aged teak stand developed the Bori Wildlife Sanctuary is an addition to the with open canopy, dense grass growth, and an flora of Mukherjee (1984). The identification occasional Holarrhena antidysentrica Wall. The represents a westward extension of the range of bamboo, Dendrocalamus strictus Nees, was this species in Madhya Pradesh, outside of the sparse in the immediate vicinity but planted and moist sal-dominated forests of Bastar. densely clumped on nearby hills. Abundant grass and browse material in teak plantations ACKNOWLEDGMENTS support high densities of wild ungulates, espe­ cially (Cervus unicolor) and Axis I thank C. Sathish Kumar of TBGRI, Thiru­ deer (Cervus axis) (Shrivastava 1993). vananthapuram, for identification of the orchid The orchid was found as a single individual and for providing correct nomenclature. The with a tall, upright yellow-flowered inflores­ Wildlife Institute of India and the Madhya Pra­ cence. The bright flowers contrasted vividly desh Forest Department facilitated fieldwork, against a background of dark green teak leaves and the Bori Wildlife Sanctuary granted permis­ and grass, and made the orchid conspicuously sion for the research. visible even from a slow-moving vehicle. It was photographed, and no collection was made. Rao LITERATURE CITED and Hajra (1974) observed similar conspicuous yellow flowers blooming in tall grass in the case Averyanov, L., P. Cribb, P.K. Loc and N.T. Hiep. 2003. of Eulophia mannii Hook.f. Slipper Orchids of Vietnam. Timber Press, Oregon. Bhattachatjee, S.K. 1984. Indian Eulophias. Amer. Or­ Taxonomic Treatment chid Soc. Bull. 53(4): 390-393. Champion, H.G. and H.K. Seth. 1968. A Revised Sur­ The following diagnostic characters of Eulo­ vey of the Forest Types of India. Government of India Press, Delhi. are reproduced from Pradhan (1979). phia jlava Cribb, P.J., D. Du Puy and J. Bosser. 2002. An unusual new epiphytic species of Eulophia (Orchidaceae) Eulophia flava (LindL) J.D. Hook. in FI. Brit. from southeastern Madagascar. Adansonia 24: Ind 1890,6: 7; Tiwari & Maheshwari 1963: 169-172. 438; Pradhan 1979: 458; Seidenfaden 1984: Dressler, R.L. 1993. Phylogeny and Classification of 33; Thomas 1998: 180.-Cyrtopera jlava the Orchid Family. Dioscorides Press, Portland, Lindl., Gen. Sp. Orch. 1833: 189.-Eulo- Oregon. 26 SELBYANA Volume 25(1) 2004

Hu, S. 1977. The Genera of Orchidaceae in Hong Madhya Pradesh (Chattarpur and Damoh). Ashish Kong. Chinese University Press, Hong Kong. Publishing House, New Delhi. Khanna, K.K., V. Mudgal and A. Kumar. 1999. Three Samvatsar, S. 1996. The Flora of Western Tribal orchids new to Madhya Pradesh. J. Econ. Taxon. Madhya Pradesh. Scientific Publications, Jodhpur. Bot. 23: 711-712. Santapau, H. and Z. Kapadia. 1966. The Orchids of Bombay. Government of India Press, Delhi. Mathur, P.K., H. Kumar and J.E Lehmkuhl. 2003. EN­ Seidenfaden, G. 1984. Orchid genera in Thailand XI. VIS Bull. Grassland Ecosystems & Agrofor. 1(1): Cymbidieae Pfitz. Opera Bot. 72: 33-34. 1-28. Shrivastava, R.J. 1993. Wild ungulate densities in Mukherjee, A.K. 1984. Flora of Pachmarhi and Bori plantations and worked forests of Bori Wildlife Reserves. Botanical Survey of India. Howrah. Sanctuary. 7th Annual Research Seminar. Wildlife Oommachan, M. 1977. The Flora of Bhopal. J.K. Jain Institute of India, Dehradun. Brothers, Bhopal. Stewart, J. 1996. Orchids of Kenya. Timber Press Inc., Oommachan, M. and J.L. Shrivastava. 1996. Flora of Portland, Oregon, USA. Jabalpur. Scientific Publications, Jodhpur. Thomas, S.A. 1998. A preliminary checklist of the ge­ Pradhan, U.e. 1979. Indian Orchids: Guide to Identi­ nus Eulophia. Lindleyana 13(3): 170-202. Tiwari, S.D.N. and J.K. Maheshwari. 1963. The or­ fication and Cultivation, Vol. II. Kalimpong. chids of Madhya Pradesh. Indian Forester 89: Rao, A.S. and P.K. Hajra. 1974. Eulophia mannii 426-444. Hook.f.: a scarcely known ground orchid from As­ Verma, D.M., P.e. Pant and M.1. Hanfi.1985. Flora of sam. Bull. Bot. Surv. India 16(1-4): 156-157. Raipur, Durg, and Rajnandgaon. Botanical Survey Roy, G.P', B.K. Shukla and B. Dutt. 1992. Flora of of India, Howrah.