NESTLED IN THEIR RICH LUXURIANT FORESTS ARE THE MOST GUARDED TREASURES OF THE SEVEN SISTERS STATES AND THEIR BROTHER SIKKIM. NOWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD CAN ONE FIND SUCH BEAUTIES AND BEAUTIES INDEED THEY ARE. KNOWN AS GEMS IN THE FLORICULTURE WORLD BECAUSE OF THEIR CURIOUS SHAPE AND COLOUR, THEY ARE THE RARE AND ENDEMIC ORCHIDS OF NORTHEAST INDIA.

Orchids are flowers with rather unusual shapes, beautiful colors and a very delicate fragrance. And because they are rare, they are highly prized and sought after, and cultivating them is almost a cult among some of its aficionados. They are too delicate to be able to survive the onslaught of today's environmental encroachments and consequent pollution and hence need the setting up of an orchidarium or arbour.

The most commonly known variety is Rhynchostylis which consists of a dense, elongated bunch and is also known as kopou. This grows profusely in the region and is often used in bridal decorations in Assam. Because of its long, bushy shape, it is also known as the foxtail orchid. It is estimated that about 1300 species of orchids are reported from India and Northeast India sustains the highest concentration of this with about 700 species. Moreover, as many as 34 species of orchids from this region are listed among the threatened plants of India.

What's more interesting is that Northeast India forms a distinctive part of the Indo-Burma hotspot which ranks sixth among the 25 biodiversity hotspots of the world. It is also a prime location among the two such regions identifi ed for the Indian sub-continent.

Out of the eight orchid habitat regions in India, the two most important areas namely, the Eastern Himalayas and the Northeastern Region fall within the political boundaries of NER. More than 1/5th of the orchid species found in the region are endemic i.e. they are unique to the region and are not found anywhere in the world.

It is to be noted that some of the orchids featured here are endemic not only to this region but also to the home states in which they are found.

These are ?

Dendrobium spatella, Dendrobium parciflorum and the Luisia macrotis from Assam.

Blue vanda and Dendrobium palpebrae from Arunachal Pradesh.

Red chimney and Cymbidium tigrinum from Nagaland.

Cymbidium eburneum from Meghalaya.

Red vanda from Tripura.

Dendrobium palpebrae from Mizoram.

Epidendrum radicans from Manipur.

Calanthe whiteana from Sikkim.

The region is also home to other interesting plant species such as the famous Pitcher plant of Meghalaya. The Pitcher Plant or Nepenthes khasiana occurring mainly in the Jarain area of the Jaintia Hills and the Baghmara area of the Garo Hills, remains an inexplicable phenomenon to the botanists even today.

Then we have the Siroi Lily which is a terrestrial lily grown only in the Siroy village in Ukhrul District, Manipur and nowhere else in the world.

The Orchid Research Centre located at Tipi in Arunachal Pradesh's West Kameng district has been doing yeoman's service in the preservation and propagation of these rare orchid varieties. This center on the bank of the river Jia Bharali is also Asia's largest orchidarium and has more than 500 species of orchids.

A very interesting fact is that one of the orchid varieties found in these parts is known as the Lost Indian lady's slipper? lost, because it was first discovered in the 1850s and was lost for a while before being rediscovered some five decades later; and lady's slipper because of the shape of the flower.

Roaming around the hills of Meghalaya, one can feel the rich abundance of lovely orchids all around. Mawsmai and Mawmloo in Cherrapunjee contain the highest number of orchid species in the entire state. These are ?sacred forests?? areas of the primary forests that are venerated and protected by the local people.

Taking a cue from such an innovative method to protect the fragile ecology we can and should devise ways to preserve for posterity, these lovely and endangered orchids of our region. They are the pride and beauty of our land and the onus is on us to protect them. The clock is ticking and tomorrow might be too late..!

Tags: assam, beauties, biodiversity hotspots, delicate fragrance, eastern himalayas, encroachments, gems, hotspot, indian sub continent, indo, luxuriant forests, Northeast India, northeastern region, onslaught, orchid species, orchidarium, political boundaries, prime location, seven sisters, species of orchids