Orchids of Ziro: Arunachal Pradesh

Ziro, in the eastern Himalaya is a scenic valley with vast expanses of paddy fields surrounded by pine-covered gentle rolling hills and unexplored dense forest. It is the headquarters of Lower Subansiri District of Arunachal Pradesh in north-east India and situated at an elevation of 5538 to 8000 ft above MSL.

This book, Orchids of Ziro: Arunachal Pradesh, is a result of that exploration and is a collection of 150 species, out of a total of 184 species located and studied in Ziro - with 30 new reports for the state, which includes 11 new reports for the whole of India. The list includes Anoectochilus regalis Blume, Bulbophyllum corallinum Tixier and Guillaumin, Calanthe velutina Ridl., Dendrobium brunneum Schuit. and Peter B. Adams and Lecanorchis japonica Blume etc.

For the compilation, I criss-crossed more than 12,000 km on foot, covering almost all the forested areas of Ziro, comprising 7 villages and the protected areas of Tale Wildlife Sanctuary. 

Each species is presented with 2 photographs - habitat as well as close-up of the flower - while the description and other details are compiled from the specimens studied in-situ. The findings reveal that Ziro is the place with the largest concentration of various orchid species in India, if not on Earth.