The Plant
Terrestrial. Stem decumbent, with many fibrous roots on its lower portion, upper portion erect, 4 to 9 cm in height, with many lanceolate bracts. Leaves 3 to 5, ovate to lanceolate, acute, short petioled, 1.5 to 2.5 cm long and around 1.25 cm in width. Leaves dark green with a silvery band bordering the midrib. Flower many in a peduncle.
The Flower
Flower 1 to 1.25 cm across. Sepals unequal, ovate, acute; dorsal wider than the lateral, its apex diagonally erect; lateral with diagonally spreading apex. Petals oblong to ovate, as long as the dorsal sepal, connivent with the dorsal. Lip as long as the sepals, base with an elongate sac and the apex narrow to a decurved lanceolate tip. Floral bracts longer than the erect ovary, lanceolate, arising from the lower side of the ovary.
Sepals externally are pale rose to pink flushed with green at its base and white at its apex tips. Inner side of the sepals, both sides of petals and entire lip are white. Floral bract greenish brown.
The Pursuit
A very elegant species of the Himalayas. Numerable researchers wrote various articles on this species. However, the documentary evidence they produced never matched its elegance, as all of them tried their hands only on specimens grown in nurseries. Many times, my documentary evidence on this species has proved the colour variations which occur on this plant when it is grown on artificial environments like nurseries and green houses.
My pursuit for this species from its natural habitats never yielded any result in the first few years. In the year 2012, I was involved in a trial project to test a new lighting technique I developed, along with some technicians. We were photographing the species, Spathoglottis ixioides Lindl., with the new technique. That species was specifically chosen for this testing project, particularly for its colour and shape. This week long project work was carried out in the natural habitat of the species. Most of the flowers selected were fresh blooms. The location was far inside a forested area at an altitude of around 10,000 ft. The technicians had come from the city, so they were not accustomed to trekking in the jungles. Hence, every day I was having tough time to handle one or the other faced by them. It is to be noted with great pride, that none of the group members suggested taking flowers or plants to our base camp to test the lighting techniques.
On the fifth day of our trek uphill, one of the technicians got a cut on his knee after a fall. The forest guard who was accompanying us suggested using some local herbs to protect the wound from exposure to flies. He knew the location of that herb and asked us to wait there till he returns with those medicinal leaves. As there were reports of a few bears roaming in that forest, I too accompanied him. It was just a short trek of about 15 minutes from where we were. As we were collecting the fresh leaves from the medicinal plant, I found a single specimen of this species under those plants. It was a plant of three leaves and less than 6 cm in height. Its particular characteristics on its leaves – the silver broad midrib, helped me to instantly identify the species. It was a joyous moment for both of us. We marked the place and joined the team and proceeded with the work on the other species.
I visited the location several times in the next 36 days. Each visit made me more and more anxious seeing its various stages of growth. Finally I produced this wonderful photograph on the 37th day. After that also I went to the location around 25 days later to see them in seedpods. Later on, in the year 2014, from another location inside a protected area I found more than 40 specimens of this species. From them too I produced some amazing pictures of this elegant plant.
Reference:
King, G. &Pantling, R. (1898). The Orchids of the Sikkim-Himalayas. Ann. Roy. Bot. Garden. (Calcutta). Goodyera vittata, Benth.ex Hook., Page no 280 – 281.