E-Paper
Rare orchids bloom again in Dudhwa Tiger Reserve
First sighted in 2020, the blooming of the flowers is an endorsement of the DTR authorities’ conservation efforts
On June 30, 2020, ground orchids – a critically endangered species – were discovered blooming quite by chance in the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve (DTR) grasslands.
But sighting them again on July 3, at the same spot in the DTR endorsed the conservation efforts of the DTR authorities to save a natural species, which is categorised as an endangered species in International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list.
How rare this orchid is can be gauged from the fact that in India, it was first sighted in the Pilibhit jungles in 1902 and about 118 years later, was sighted in Dudhwa on June 30, 2020.
Dudhwa field director Sanjay Kumar Pathak, who accidentally discovered the rare orchids blooming among the dense Dudhwa grasslands, told Hindustan Times that “soon after its discovery in Dudhwa, he ensured to protect and conserve the plants for their proper study.”
“Any such discovery is not only overwhelming but a source of knowledge about Dudhwa’s rich ecology,” he added.
He said “A fortnight back, I again visited the grasslands and felt relieved to see orchids had flourished and flowered again.
“Soon after the Dudhwa orchids were identified and certified in 2020 by eminent botanist of Bangladesh Hossain Sourav, who described the species listed in the UK-based Kew Herbarium since 1902, he encouraged further study on the rare natural species.”
Ground orchids or ‘eulophia obtusa’ is a grass-associated species, which survives among long grasses.
Pathak said “Orchids grow among the large grasses, which not only provide them shelter and shade but protect them against the scorching sun and harsh winds.”
- Deo Kant Pandey
