This paper presents a preliminary enumeration of 25 species of Orchids in 17 genera from Sirumalai, Tamil Nadu, India

Kottaimuthu et al., R.

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Ethnobotanical Leaflets 12: 506-512. 2008.  Enumeration of Orchids of Sirumalai Hills (Eastern Ghats), Tamil Nadu, India R. Kottaimuthu,1 R. Ganesan,1 V. Ganesan1 and V. Meenakshi Sundaram2 1Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), Bangalore2Department of Botany, Madura College, Maduraikottaimuthu@yahoo.co.in Issued 13 July 2008 Abstract            This paper presents a preliminary enumeration of 25 species of Orchids in 17 genera from Sirumalai, TamilNadu, India.Key Words: Orchids, Sirumalai Hills, Tamil Nadu.Introduction            The Eastern Ghats, one of the richest floristic and phytogeographical regions of India, form a discontinuousrange of mountains extending over 1750 km between the rivers of Mahanadi and Vaigai along the Eastern Coast ofIndia across the states of Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Orchids being a specialized group of plants,exploit a variety of niches ranging from dark humid under storey, litter laden rocky crevices, mass covered waterdripping rocks and trunks of trees, etc., with diverse vegetative morphology and floral structure (Ganesan, 2004).Hitherto, 190 species of orchids under 54 genera were reported from Eastern Ghats alone (Reddy et al., 2006). Theenumeration of orchids in Sirumalai Hills (Karuppusamy et al., 1999; Pallithanam, 2001) is not satisfactory. Aboveall there is genuine need to update the knowledge about the orchid wealth of Sirumalai. In order to fill this lacuna,the present work was undertaken with the view to get an overall floristic picture of orchids of Sirumalai Hills. Materials and Methods            The Sirumalai Hills (“small hills”) part of Eastern Ghats (Pullaiah and Rao, 2002) is situated 6.5 km south ofDindigul District and lies between 100  7’ – 100 18’ N latitude and 770 55’ – 780 12’ E longitude and covers an areaof 317 km2 . The altitude from foot hill to the highest Mullupanrimalai ranges from 200 to 1379m. Geographically,the Sirumalai is an archaean formation. The gneissic rocks are referred to as charnockite and consist of mica,feldspar and quartz. The annual mean temperature of this area varies during summer and winter from 250 C to 280 Cand 150 C to 100 C. The rainfall regime is a tropical dissymmetric type with the bulk of rain received during theretreating monsoon period (October – December) due to depression and cyclones (Meher-Homji, 1973). Thevegetation of Sirumalai ranges from tropical thorn forest to mixed deciduous forest, dry evergreen forest, moistdeciduous riparian forest and semi-evergreen forest (Champion and Seth, 2005).            The present work was undertaken in various places of the Sirumalai Hills between January 2006 andDecember 2007. The collected plants were identified taxonomically with the help of various floras (Abraham andVatsala, 1981; Gamble and Fischer, 1997; Joseph, 1987; Matthew, 1991; Pallithanam, 2001). Their identificationwas later confirmed by matching specimens with previously authenticated specimens available at Botanical Surveyof India (BSI), Southern Circle, Coimbatore. All collections are deposited in Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecologyand the Environment (ATREE) Herbarium, Bangalore. An artificial key is given for easy identification and furthercollection of orchids from Sirumalai. The enumeration follows alphabetical order of the binomials followed byvoucher specimen numbers and distribution.  Key to the Orchids of Sirumalai Hills 1a. Epiphytic plants--------------------------------------------21b. Terrestrial plants-------------------------------------------132a. Plants with pseudobulbs-----------------------------------32b. Plants without pseudobulbs-------------------------------43a. Flowers borne in leafless pseudobulbs; lip ciliate--- --Dendrobium macrostachyum3b. Flowers borne in leafy stems; lip entire-----------------Cymbidium aloifolium4a. Leaves dorsiventral-----------------------------------------54b. Leaves terete------------------------------------------------105a. Lip 2-spurred------------------------------------------------Diplocentrum recurvum5b. Lip 1-spurred -----------------------------------------------66a. Flowers < 1cm wide----------------------------------------Aerides ringens6b. Flowers > 1cm wide-------------------------------------------77a. Lateral lobes of lip small-------------------------------------Acampe praemorsa7a. Lateral lobes of lip large--------------------------------------88a. Leaves ovate, less than 9cm long----------------------------Vanda spathulata8b. Leaves linear, 10-20cm long---------------------------------99a. Flowers yellow-------------------------------------------------Vanda testacea9b. Flowers violetish or pink-------------------------------------Vanda tessellata10a. Lip not spurred-----------------------------------------------1110b. Lip spurred---------------------------------------------------Papilionanthe cylindrica11a. Dorsal sepal up to 0.5cm long-----------------------------Luisia zeylanica12a. Dorsal sepal up to 1.2cm long-----------------------------Luisia birchea13a. Leaves solitary-----------------------------------------------Chrysoglossum maculatum13b. Leaves two or more-----------------------------------------1414a. Lip not spurred ----------------------------------------------1514b. Lip spurred --------------------------------------------------1715a. Plants with pseudobulbs or subterranean tubers -------1615b. Plants without pseudobulbs or subrerranean tubers----Tropidia angulosa16a. Flowers solitary---------------------------------------------Disperis neilgherrensis16b. Flowers many in compact racemes-----------------------Geodorum densiflorum17a. Plant a saprophyte-------------------------------------------Epipogium roseum17b. Plants other than saprophyte-------------------------------1818a. Plants with pseudobulbs or subterranean tubers---------1918b. Plants without pseudobulbs or subrerranean tubers-----2519a. Leaves grass like and plaited-------------------------------Eulophia epidendraea19b. Leaves not as above-----------------------------------------2020a. Petlas bipartite------------------------------------------------2120b. Petals not bipartite-------------------------------------------2221a. Inflorescence of 2-4 flowers-------------------------------Habenaria rariflora21b. Inflorescence of several flowers--------------------------Habenaria multicaudata22a. Leaves radical, adpressed to ground---------------------2322b. Leaves cauline, not adpressed to ground----------------2423a. Lip much longer than sepals-------------------------------Habenaria plantaginea23b. Lip not longer than sepals----------------------------------Habenaria roxburghii24a. Ovary long beaked. Lip longer than lateral sepals------Habenaria longicorniculata24b. Ovary sessile. Lip not longer than lateral sepals--------Habenaria decipiens25a. Lip with fringed flanges------------------------------------Anoectochilus elatus25b. Lip without fringed flanges--------------------------------Zeuxine longilabris Systematic EnumerationAcampe praemorsa (Roxb.) Blatter & MccannSpecimens Examined: RKM-40033, Occasional, on way to Puliyampallam.Distribution: South India (Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa and Karnataka) and Ceylon.Aerides ringens (Lindley) C. FischerSpecimens Examined: RKM-40068, Occasional in Nerkuthusholai and Punsholai.Distribution: South India (Tamil Nadu and Kerala) and Ceylon.Anoectochilus elatus LindleySpecimens Examined: RKM-40205, Very rare in Kannadisholai.Distribution: South India (Tamil Nadu and Kerala).Chrysoglossum maculatum (Thwaites) Hook. f.Specimens Examined: RKM-40218, Rare in Thumbisholai.Distribution: South India (Tamil Nadu and Kerala) and Ceylon.Cymbidium aloifolium (L.) Sw.Specimens Examined: RKM-40069, Occasional in Nerkuthusholai.Distribution: India, China, Ceylon and Indonesia.Dendrobium macrostachyum LindleySpecimens Examined: RKM-40086, Very rare, on way to Mullupanrimalai.Distribution: South India (Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Maharashtra), Himalaya and Ceylon.Diplocentrum recurvum LindleySpecimens Examined: RKM-40059, Common, on way to Kannadisholai from Sirumalai Puthur.Distribution: South India (Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka).Disperis neilgherrensis WightSpecimens Examined: RKM-40051, 40060, Rare in Kannadisholai.Distribution: South India (Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka).Epipogeum roseum (D. Don) Lindl.Specimens Examined: RKM-40095, Very rare in Kannadisholai.Distribution: South India (Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka), Himalaya, Nepal and Malaysia.Eulophia epidendraea (J. Koenig) Schltr.Specimens Examined: RKM-40195, Occasional, on way to Nadukandamalai.Distribution: South India (Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Maharashtra) and Ceylon.Geodorum densiflorum (Lam.) Schltr.Specimens Examined: RKM-40053, Rare, on way to Kurangupallam.Distribution: India, Ceylon and Phillippines.Habenaria decipiens WightSpecimens Examined: RKM-40173, 40179, Occasional, on way to Madagamalai.Distribution: South India (Tamil Nadu).Habenaria longicorniculata J. GrahamSpecimens Examined: RKM-40159, 40166, Occasional, on way to Madagamalai.Distribution: South India (Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Maharashtra).Habenaria multicaudata L. J. SedgwickSpecimens Examined: RKM-40177, Rare, on way to Madagamalai.Distribution: South India (Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Maharashtra).Habenaria plantaginea LindleySpecimens Examined: RKM-40222, Occasional, on way to Puliyampallam.Distribution: South India (Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra), Himalayas and Ceylon.Habenaria rariflora A. RichSpecimens Examined: RKM-40133, 40137, Rare in Vellimalai.Distribution: South India (Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Maharashtra).Habenaria roxburghii (Pers.) R. Br.Specimens Examined: RKM-40102, Rare, on way to Thavasimadai.Distribution: South India (Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka).Luisea birchea BlumeSpecimens Examined: RKM-40040, Common, on way to KannadiSholai from Srumalai Puthur.Distribution: South India (Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Maharashtra) and Ceylon.Luisea zeylanica LindleySpecimens Examined: RKM-40083, 40088, Rare, on way to Thumbisholai.Distribution: South India (Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Maharashtra), Ceylon and Nepal.Papilionanthe cylindrica (Lindl.) Seidenf.Specimens Examined: RKM-40037, Occasional, on way to Thumbisholai from VellimalaiDistribution: South India (Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka), Himalaya, Ceylon and Nepal.Tropidia angulosa (Lindley) BlumeSpecimens Examined: RKM-40119, 40121, Very rare, along the edges of Thumbisholai.Distribution: India, Malaysia and Indonesia.Vanda spathulata (L.) SprengelSpecimens Examined: RKM-40162; Occasional, on way to Madagamalai.Distribution: South India (Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Maharashtra) and Ceylon.Vanda tessellata (Roxb.) Hook. ex DonSpecimens Examined: RKM-40012, 40020, Occasional, on way to Punsholai from Puliyampallam.Distribution: India, Ceylon and Thailand.Vanda testacea (Lindley) Reichb. f.Specimens Examined: RKM-40024, Common, on way to Vellimalai from Sirumalai Puthur.Distribution: India and Ceylon.Zeuxine longilabris (Lindley) Benth ex Hook. f.Specimens Examined: RKM-40029, Very rare, only 10 individuals are seen in Kannadisholai.Distribution: South India (Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka), Himalaya, Ceylon and South East Asia. Plate 1. Orchids of Sirumalai, Tamil Nadu, India.  AcknowledgementThe first author is grateful to Dr. G. V. S. Murthy, Joint Director, Botanical Survey of India, Southern Circle,Coimbatore for permission to consult the Madras Herbarium (MH).BibliographyAbraham, A. and Vatsala, P. 1981. Introduction to Orchids with Illustration and Descriptions of 150 South IndianOrchids. Tropical Botanical Garden and Research Institute, Thiruvananthapuram, India.Gamble, J. S. and Fischer, C. E. C. 1997. Flora of Presidency of Madras Reprinted Edition, Volume-III, BishenSingh Mahendra Pal Singh, Dehra Dun.Ganesan, R. Orchids of Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, Southern Western Ghats, India. In: K. S. Manilal andC. S. Sathish Kumar (eds.). Orchid Memories- A tribute to Gunnar Seidenfaden. Mentor Books and IndianAssociation for Angiosperm Taxonomy(IAAT), Calicut, India: pp 85-91.Joseph, J. 1987. Orchids of Nilgiris. Botanical Survey of India, Calcutta, India.Karuppusamy, S., Rajasekaran, K. M. and R. Kumuthakalavalli. 1999. Orchids of Sirumalai Hills. J. Swamy Bot. 16:73-74.Matthew, K. M. 1991. An excursion Flora of Central Tamil Nadu, India. Oxford and IBH Publishing Co. Pvt. Ltd.,New Delhi.Meher-Homji, V. M. 1973. A Phytosociological study of the Albizia amara community of India. Phytocoenologia1(1): 114-129.Pallithanam, J. M. 2001. A Pocket Flora of the Sirumalai Hills, South India. The Rapinat Herbarium, St. Joseph’sCollege, Tiruchirapalli.        

Enumeration of Orchids of Sirumalai Hills (Eastern Ghats), Tamil Nadu, India

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Enumeration of Orchids of Sirumalai Hills (Eastern Ghats), Tamil Nadu, India

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