Photo Courtesy: nenews
Itanagar: Botanists found a rare, leafless orchid in a remote gorge near the Keyi River in Arunachal Pradesh. They named the species Gastrodia keyiensis. It grows in the Keyi Panyor district. The team found only five flowering individuals during a survey at an elevation of 1,000 metres. It lives in deep shade under bamboo groves on thick leaf litter.
The plant lacks chlorophyll and does not use photosynthesis. It relies on soil fungi for nutrients, a process known as holomycotrophy. The orchid reaches heights of 35 cm and produces one to three flowers. These blooms range from white to pale blue with a curved yellow section. Locals in the Nyishi dialect call the plant Oram Opuh, or Ghost Flower. It spends most of its life cycle underground, making it nearly impossible to spot.
Madhusudhan Khanal, Dipankar Borah, Shuvadip Sarkar, Neelam Gap, Santosh Kumar Rai, and Devendra Kumar authored the study. They published their findings in the journal Phytotaxa on September 9. Their institutions include the G B Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment, Sikkim University, Kaliabor College, and the Botanical Survey of India. Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein praised the find on social media. He stated, the discovery "adds another fascinating chapter" to the state’s rich biodiversity.
Researchers classified the species as Data Deficient because they only know of one site. This area spans four square kilometres. The team called for more field work and long-term monitoring. Arunachal Pradesh remains a haven for these plants. The state forest department recognizes roughly 600 orchid species within its borders, earning it the nickname Orchid Paradise.
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