Epiphyte. Pseudo-bulbs cylindric, very small, 0.5 cm to 1.25 cm long and less than 0.5 cm in diameter, extending into a narrow stem of very short length. Leaves 2 to 5, 2 to 4 cm in length and less than 1 cm in width, linear oblong, obliquely notched at the apex. Raceme terminal, 3 to 5 cm in length and with 3 to 7 small flowers. Flowers hardly 2 cm across, sepals and petals pale green with purplish red nerves, lip purplish red with pale green margins. Sepals lanceolate with the lateral pair longer and wider than the dorsal. Petals shorter than the petals, oblong. Lip elliptic, decurved from base, edges entire, apex sub-acute.
Dendrobium porphyrochilum Lindl.
The Pursuit
The plants of this species are very small with thin stems and narrow leaves. In the Eastern Himalayas it is seen growing around sub-alpine regions only. I was so eager to see this plant and was searching it for more than three years. It blooms along with the start of monsoon season. Due to the rains the forest floors will be full of undergrowths and leeches, this makes it very difficult to work in sub-alpine forests. All the small trees will be full of fresh leaves and finding a small epiphytic plant from those thick forested terrains will be very difficult. For a whole week I was searching for this plant on various locations. The thick forest floor prevented intrusion deep inside and I could not locate the species. I had decided to search this species where the undergrowth may not be so dense. Suddenly I spotted some area on the hill slope which was washed away due to a landslide of the previous monsoon. The landslide had taken away all the undergrowths and left the slope with a few trees only. I had an intuition that this species will be there on those trees. Slowly and carefully I climbed down the slope and searched the first tree. Unfortunately there was nothing, not even a small plant, on any of its branches. Tried the next 4 trees, the result was the same. Again I climbed down and searched more than 10 to 15 trees and found 7 plants of this species. The plants were very small and without any buds. It took several risky and dangerous treks on that slope for another five weeks to see those plants in bloom and produced this wonderful photograph.
Epiphyte. Stems as long as 2 to 5 ft, pendulous, smooth, slightly swollen at the nodes. Leaves 2 to 5 cm long and 1 to 2 cm in width, thick, lanceolate, tapering towards its tip, sessile (the leaves fall much early). Flowers 2 to 3 cm across, 1 to 4 in numbers from very short peduncles from the nodes of leafless stems. Sepals and petals are pale pink networked with darker shade; lip pale yellow to white with a few purple streaks on the tubular base and its mouth. Sepals sub-equal, oblong-lanceolate, sub-acute. Petals much broader than the sepals, elliptic, blunt. Lip sub-orbicular, side lobes absent, the disc hairy, the base convolute to take the shape of a tube.
Come April and May, the tropical valleys of the region are full of this species in bloom. Pendulous huge clusters with hundreds of flowers can easily be spotted on most of the trees, dancing gently to the tune of morning and afternoon tropical winds. The only difficulty for people like me, is that it got a wide mouthed hairy lip which attracts all dust from those topical environment. I examined a lot of flowers to get a perfect dust free flower in vain. I understood the fact that, like many other flowers this also needed to be shot as early as it opens. We never expected to extend our stay at that place after dusk and hence were not carrting our camping equipments. As we are very known to most of the village people one night stay was not be a problem. However, I slept in the open on the banks of the mighty Teesta. My friend who accompanied me collected a lot of fallen dry leaves and dug out the sand on that river bank to make a soft natural sleeping bed for me and I had a comfortable sleep there. The next day we were up before the first light of the Sun and climbed up the tree looking for a few perfect flowers to shoot. Got this beautiful bunch and produced this wonderful photograph without much difficulty. The tragedy of this species is that in the year 2012 this species was illegally collected by the locals for some outsiders who were active with some cross border trade. It took several weeks for the administration to notice the disappearance of this species, by then most of the plants were inside the laboratories thousands of miles away.
Epiphyte. Stems, 30 to 60 cm or even longer, erect, widening to the apex. Leaves 4 to 6 cm in length and around 2 cm in width, oblong, apex sub-obtuse and notched, narrowed to the base, coriaceous. Flowers in short racemes from the nodes of leafy as well leafless stems, number various between 1 and 5, each 3 to 5 cm across. Sepals and petals are purple turning white at the base; lip with a deep purple blotch surrounded with white flushed with pale yellow and a purple mucro. Sepals sub-equal, the dorsal oblong-elliptic, the lateral oblong. Petals broader than the sepals, elliptic. Both sepals and petals many veined. Lip broadly ovate-oblong, hairy inside, the apex slightly and mucronate.
Dendrobium nobile Lindl.
The Pursuit
The State Flower of Sikkim. Once a common species of the tropical valleys, collected in large numbers for commercial purposes made it very scarce in its natural habitats. Sir. George King and Robert Pantling described the colouration of flower in detail and I was looking for a perfect match from various locations. However, in most of the cases the description about its sepals and petals was never matched. As per their noting,“the sepals and petals are always purple shading off into a white base”. I decided to look for this species in other locations also. The work I undertook was first of its kind from the region and I wanted it to produce better results. With that intention I visited several locations for this species, to find the exact colouration of flowers as described by the great authors. On high altitudes (above 3800 ft) the flowers are found to be more purplish and at very low altitudes (in the hot valleys of River Teesta) they were more towards a paler shade. Hence, I decided to find the species from an intermediate altitude of 1800 to 2600 ft. I searched for four days in a new location at 2200 ft for this species in vain. Even though I found a lot of them in bloom in some homes, I decided to find a few plants from its natural habitat itself. A young boy of that village, who used to venture deep into the forest, helped me to find a few plants inside the forest. Most of the stems were with full bloom flowers. In those areas the trees are often with many branches which enable easy climbing. We both climbed up to examine those flowers and to my surprise found that the colouration is exactly the same as described by the pioneers of orchids around 120 years ago. It seems the authors also collected the species from around the same altitude for their monumental work. As usual when in plenty, it will be very difficult to find a perfect one to photograph. After climbing several trees found this perfect bunch of flowers and produced this amazing photograph of this Himalayan beauty. This species is a prime example of variations caused due to altitude difference. Even though many species survive on a wide range of altitudes, all of them got their own perfect habitats.
Epiphyte. Stems long as 7 to 20 cm long and thickened around 1 cm at the base and 1 to 2 cm at its apex, green marked with parallel white lines, gradually going thickened upwards from the base, nodes slightly swollen, pendulous. Leaves 4 to 6 cm long, linear-lanceolate, deciduous during flowering. Flowers in short peduncles from the nodes of leafless stems, 2 cm across, often solitary but also seen with two or three together, fleshy, sepals and petals white with pale pink margins, sepals three and petals one veined; lip white with a large pale yellow spot of its middle portion. Sepals and petals broadly oblong. Lip obovate, broad, with undulate edges.
Dendrobium crepidatum Lind.
The Pursuit
The species got much attention of Sir George King and Robert Pantling during their monumental work. They found much variations in the property of the species from specimens collected from Sikkim and as well as from Assam and Khasia Hills. They described the Sikkim specimens as “unattractive” and those from the Assam and Khasia Hills as “rather handsome flowers”. I had earlier studied the same species from Assam and Khasia Hills in the year 2009 and 2010 respectively. I was so enthusiastic to find the difference of it from the specimens of the Sikkim-Himalayas and was there in the region in the early summer of 2012. In the earlier visits itself I had found this plant from various tropical valleys. Its thickened, fleshy, leafless, white veined, green, pendulous and leafless stems, 3 or 4 together can be spotted very easily from its habitats. However, the species bloomed much earlier than expected and I missed a “well planned” opportunity. Lost the hope in getting it in flowers that year and marked as “pending observation”. But in the middle of April, I was at an altitude of around 3000 ft on the other side of the district for some other species and I found the same one in bloom, a few of them in flower and in buds. Those opened flowers were somewhat withered and with spots and dirts. So I decided to wait a couple of days for the buds to bloom and got this perfect photograph with its yellow spot and fleshy property of the sepals and petals well recorded. On comparison with the evidences of the species from Assam and Khasia Hills, it has been found that the Sikkim-Himalayan specimens are comparatively smaller in size but equally attractive.
Epiphyte. Stems erect, compressed and as long as 15 to 30 cm and 1 to 2 cm in width. Leaves shortly ensiform, coriaceous, lanceolate, acute with overlapping (equitant) bases, 2 to 4 cm long and 1 to 2 cm in width. Flowers axillary and produced singly on small floral bracts, lateral. Flowers 2 cm across, greenish yellow with reddish brown markings and shades on the disc of the lip and its underside. Sepals unequal, elliptic, obtuse with the lateral ones clasped together at the base and much larger than the dorsal. Petals much narrower than the sepals, spreading, elliptic and blunt. Lip oblong, slightly decurved, the edges entire in the lower portion and crisped in the upper part.
Dendrobium anceps Swartz
The Pursuit
Due to its over collection for commercial purposes, this species almost disappeared from its natural habitats. In my 3 to 4 years of flower hunt in the region I had come across only a few plants of this species from the wild. It is a native of tropical valleys and the forest fires, a common feature of summer days, had almost destroyed most of its habitats. Luckily I got this species 4 years back and decided to document it the next blooming season itself, as I predict a new dam construction near to its habitat will make all the trees disappear sooner or later. For three continuous years, part of my study tours I regularly visited North East states during April and May. In the year 2011 I added this species also to my agenda. My anxiety was whether the plant will be there or not? After crossing the first hurdle with happiness, then it was to find out the buds and its blooming dates. The plants were at an height of 35 to 50 ft up on tall trees and the buds were on the other side of the stem which prevented a good view from the ground. To ascertain the buds, every day I climbed those rough tall trees, badly bruising my thighs. The temperature on those tropical valleys was also very high which make one exhausted at a quick pace. Mostly with vanishing species, I have to put extra efforts to document it. This species was one of that category. Finally, after several visits and unending climbs, I found them in bloom. To produce perfect photographs on top of a tall tree with not much support is also a very difficult work. The camera, flashes and its accessories together make up a more than a few kilos and handling them at those heights need much courage and experience. Those were my class room days and I was not a good “jungle man” to handle all those tricky things on top of a tall tree. However, the photograph I got was a perfect one, that also without much hurt.
Epiphyte, mostly pendulous. Stem long as 35 to 70 cm and 1 to 2 cm in diameter, slightly thickened at nodes. Leaves alternate, 4 to 6 cm long and 1 to 2 cm in width, oblong lanceolate, apex acute. Flowers beautiful, 2 to 3 cm across, arising from nodes of leafless stems, 2 to 3 from short bracteate penduncles. Sepals white with pale violet margins, petals white with a violet blotch on its tips tip, lip white with a violet blotch near its apex and another greenish yellow towards its middle with a few purple streaks on its sides. Sepals oblong-lanceolate, obtuse, three veined, slightly longer than the petals. Petals broader than the sepals, ovate, obtuse, one veined. Lip long as the sepals, oblong-obovate, clawed at the base with broad side lobes; the terminal lobe with undulate edges and rounded or sometimes with pointed tips; with puberulous upper and lower surfaces.
Dendrobium amoenum Wall
The Pursuit
“One of the most charming of Indian Dendrobes” – wrote Sir. George King and Robert Pantling. The plant’s pendulous and long stems always attract attention. Found growing in the tropical valleys and to altitudes up to 5000 ft in the hills. I had spotted the species, a few of them, from an intermediate altitude and waited for the monsoon season to see them in flowers. The month of May is the season of many blooming and I am forced to travel long distances every day to study and document various other species. But always remembered this “charming” one. Visited the area in the mid of May to see them in buds. Hoping it will be in bloom, visited the spot after 8 days to find it again in buds only. The whole program to the North hills was to be re-scheduled for this species and I waited for the next few days to see it in bloom. Every morning I made a long drive to the spot to see buds only, but seeing the buds swollen was encouraging. Finally, on the fourth morning, I got to see this “charming” beauty in full bloom. Selected the best of the best flower, a very difficult job – to select a beauty from a dozen beauties!!! The pendulous and long stem always swings in the wind thus making it difficult to pin sharp the flower. However, I am lucky enough to have the experience of working in those windy conditions and produced this wonderful photograph with some extra micro lighting techniques.
Terrestrial. A small plant with 3 to 5 elliptic-oblong leaves. Leaves 6 to 12 cm in length and 3 to 5 cm at its centre, acute, minutely bifid at its apex, fleshy, sheathing to its base, shades of green reticulated with pale green above and dull brown below. Peduncle longer than the leaves, terete, puberulosus, with solitary erect flowers, very rarely found with two flowers also (of around 80 plants I found from the region, only three specimens were having two flowers). Flowers 3 to 5 cm across, floral bract oblong, acute and tubular. Dorsal sepal erect, white with bright green converging concave stripes, with a few broken half way; the lateral pair brownish pink. Sepals bright green with pinkish brown tips, with green veins and few irregular dark purple spots. Lip is yellowish green shaded with pale pink and networked with green.
Cypripedium venustum, Wall. ex Sims. (Paphiopedilum venustum, (Wall. ex Sims) Pfitzer).
The Pursuit
The most thrilling and fascinating flower hunt of my life was for this species. This species is brought from neighbouring states in plenty and also collected from the region in large scales for commercial purposes for decades. Thus making it available in every house of the region, but very rarely found in its natural habitat. However, my desire to study the plant from its natural habitat took me twice to a deep forest which is one of the most isolated places of the Eastern Himalayas. I did good research on the habitat of this species from several referral books and information from various geographical database and undertook a journey of over 20 km through a narrow stream with vertical hills on both sides. The route was through the dense forests of the region with regular sightings of herds of elephants and leopards. The walk was against the flow of the stream with regular small but steep water falls all the way, 82 of them in total. The blooming time of the species was mentioned as February and March, so decided to make the trip in the mid of January. The temperature even at those low altitudes go down to 6 to 8C in the month of January, not to mention about the coldness of the flowing water in the stream. The whole journey of around 20 km was through that cold stream, with knee to waist deep water. The more I walked ahead the narrower the stream became, the narrower the stream the faster the flow of water. Each step was to be set with maximum alertness. By the half way, I understood this journey is like landing on the Moon, “no rescue at all”!!!. After 8 hours of tedious walk through waist high cold flowing waters, we reached the location I was searching for. My friend who came along helped me with fixing the tent and in cooking the dinner. In those winter months the days are very short in the Himalayas, it will be pitch-dark around 4:30 PM. Rested inside the tent with a camp fire in front of the tent to ward off wild animals. We both were so tired, but were deprived of sleep due to our wet feet and chilled body. Spend the whole night with headphones active. Next day, searched the whole area and we were blessed to find more than 80 plants of the species in buds. It was a wonderful moment to find such a rare species in its natural habitat, that also in abundance. I was really happy that a meticulous research on its location was proved right. Returned that afternoon with great pride. Hid the tent and few utensils we carried underneath few rocks, so as to avoid carrying them back and forth again in a few day’s of re-visit. The return was more memorable, sighting a herd of elephants, seventeen of them, blocking our way. It was a real photo shoot time for me, for around 3 continuous hours – nonstop!!!. However, I missed my 300mm/2.8 lens. By sunset those wild friends retired to their dense forest homes and we took the left over return journey under darkness, with several nosedives and tumbles. Luckily I had my camera equipments packed in water proof packs. Reached the village after 8 PM only to surprise the sleepy villagers. Again undertook the same thrilling journey in the first week of February for this wonderful photograph.
Epiphyte. With several short pseudo-stems arranged together to form a huge cluster. The pseudo-stems are clothed with broad overlapping acute sheaths. Leaves three to five from each stem, long as 14 to 20 cm and 2 to 4 cm in width, coriaceous, oblong to lanceolate, sub-acute, slightly narrowed to a channelled petiole. Inflorescence pendulous, with a few lanceolate sheaths, longer or of the same size as that of the leaves. Raceme many flowered. Flowers 2 to 3 cm across. Sepals and petals brownish to pale purple, with very narrow pale greenish margins; lip of a darker shade mottled with spots of even darker shade, also the base of the lip got a white patch and two dark purplish violet spots on the sides. Sepals sub-equal, oblong to lanceolate, acute, dorsal erect and lateral undulate. Petals slightly smaller than the petals, ovate-lanceolate, spreading. Both the sepals and petals are five nerved. Lip as long as petals, oblong, base decurved.
Cymbidium devonianum Paxton.
The Pursuit
A plant which went scarce due to over collection for commercial purposes. I never encountered this species from the region despite several attempts. In the year 2011, I was in the Himalayas in the early summer with my flower hunt of the region. In the referral book, the blooming time of this species was mentioned as May and June, so decided to try my luck. In the town I was putting up, there are a few nurseries with some good collection of Cymbidiums. Made several enquires with them in vain to get some information about its natural habitats. The “politics” of orchid research is very volatile, so no informations will be passed on to anyone. However, from one of the nurseries, I was able to meet a person who had earlier collected the species from its natural habitat. He was kind enough to explain to me about its natural habitat, a place around 45 km away and at around 5500 to 7000 ft. He had collected the species from that area around 20 years ago, but got no idea about its blooming time or its flowers. Usually the information from local collectors will end in mismatches, as they are not aware about the exact identifications or scientific observations and its values. I decided to try my luck and made a trip to there with some essential commodities like food for a couple of days, tent and sleeping bag. The area said was totally devoid of any human settlement and the nearest village was around 7 km away. I pitched my tent on the cricket ground of the village and rested for the night. Next day with the help of a college going village boy, I started the hunt for the species. The trees of the region were tall and huge, with thick canopies prevented peering of the eyes. Came back in the evening with an aching neck. Due to some personal work the college boy was not able to accompany me the next day. I went all alone into that thick forest with a hope that luck will strike me before I encounter any wild animals. Venturing inside deep forests without company is like inviting danger. But, in some circumstances I am forced to make solo trips. That day was one of many days of my solo adventures. The higher I climbed the hill, the taller the trees were and the thicker the canopies. As there were a few water sources in that thick forest from which the near by villagers sourced water, the thick vegetation got some tracks also, which the villagers used to go to clean the water sources once in a while. I followed one such track which took me to a water source. Water sources are the most dangerous places inside the forest with presence of wild animals always. Searched the whole area but could not able to find any signs of the species. Thought of climbing the hill further up, the thick vegetation and stories of bear sightings made me think twice. But, the eagerness in me to find the species overtook the fear in me. The climb with heavy camera bag and the referral book was very hard, so dropped them on a safe place and proceeded further up the hill, through thickets and itching bushes for another 20 minutes, with no trace of the species. Another disappointing day in the hills. The lonely climb without result made me so frustrated, I was not able to sleep and spend the whole night looking at the night sky and counting the stars. Next day, two villagers accompanied me and we followed the stream and went to the other side of the hill. Climbed the hill from that side and surveyed the whole area. Finally, as it was “made for me”, we found a few huge cluster of this species with seven blooming racemes on the top of a 80 footer tree. I was overjoyed with the find, still the thoughts of climbing up that huge tree made my head spin. Rest was a miracle. The two villagers did everything for me, carried the camera and flashes and one of them even carried me on his shoulders up the tree and I got this wonderful photograph of the species. I will never forget this particular hunt, especially those moments up that tall tree!!!!
Epiphyte. Leaves coriaceous, obtuse, fleshy, linear-oblong, slightly notched at the apex with the base expanded than the apex, long, up to 40 to 50 cm and 2 to 4 cm in width. Inflorescence from the base of the pseudo-stem, variable in length, between 35 to 60 cm long. The peduncle with several acute scarious sheaths near the base. Raceme with many flowers. Flowers 2 to 3 cm across. Sepals and petals yellowish orange with petals slightly brighter than the sepals. Both with a radiating purple stripe, notably wider on petals than sepals. Lip white with purple parallel stripes on its base. Sepals narrowed, sub-equal, oblong, slightly oblanceolate, blunt, dorsal erect and lateral pairs somewhat falcate. Petals shorter than the sepals, ovate-oblanceolate, blunt. Lip as long as the sepals, oblong, disc with two broken lamellae and disconnected in the middle; apical lobe much decurved.
Cymbidium aloifolium (L.) Swartz
The Pursuit
This species is purely a native to tropical valleys, also observed growing up to 3500 ft in some areas. My flower hunts on the Eastern side of the region, especially on the Assam highway helped me to notice this species growing in abundance on trees inside a few Tea estates. Also, in the monumental book of Sir. George King and Robert Pantling, the habitat is mentioned as “low elevations”. My desire to get the perfect descriptions of them by the authors, made me concentrate on the plants of that area which was around 300 to 450 ft altitude only. That place was around 70 km away from my place of stay, and also the temperature rises up to 37C during the mid-day hours (in the Himalayas the rising temperature is my enemy!!!!). When ever I do my survey on those areas I start my day very early, so that the survey of that area can be done well before the sun climbs right above my head. Got information from the local friends that a lot of plants are in bloom and went there in the early hours. The drive will take around 3 hours. On that day, I was forced to climb up some trees to look for another species, so the drive took for more time to reach. It was true, that a lot of trees were bearing this flowers in plenty. As it was in a Tea estate where there are a lot of workers, helping hands are of no scarcity. I found a very good plant at around 8 ft from ground with pendulous flowers hanging right in front of my eye level. The enthusiastic workers around were helping me by holding flashes from various sides to produce this wonderful photograph. It seemed all of the workers want to be part of this monumental work. The Manager of the Tea estate invited me for lunch and returned by late afternoon only. While working in the hills where comfort is at its minimum, a meal like that will always keep one happy.
Terrestrial. Leaves single, 15 to 25 cm long and 2 to 5 cm in width, plicate, elliptic to lanceolate, narrowed into a long petiole, veined. Flowers dropping, on a terete, erect, naked racemose arising from the bulbous stem, as long as 22 to 30 cm. Flowers pale pink with varying darker spots and streaks, especially on petals and lip. Sepals and petals narrowly lanceolate with the the former three veined. Both closely pressed at the base and the former slightly spreading towards the apex. Petals smaller than the sepals. Lip adnate at the base of the column, erect, linear, minutely sub-saccate at the base, 3 lobed at the apex. The lateral lobes oblong and divergent, the apical exceeding the lateral, oblong and blunt with a fleshy appendage near its base.
This is a species I searched for three years. This species was never documented from the region and the drawing and the descriptions in the referral book was totally inadequate. No information on its habitat was available in any of the books except “at elevation of 6000 to 8000 ft”. Another confusion also prevailed in the form of the number of leaves. King and Pantling mentioned as “Leaves usually two”, but in other referral photographs collected from various scientific works showed only solitary leaf. However, I got a clear idea of its flowering season from various works and decided for a detailed survey during early monsoon days especially around 7000 ft. With the monsoon the leeches are very active at those altitudes, also the forest floor will be full of undergrowth, making it a very difficult task to find a small plant which hardly grows for 30 cm. Determined to find, I repeatedly visited a hill slope with semi-alpine trees all over. That area got one more obstacle in the form of some itching plants, which causes too much itching and irritation for days. The search continued for several days, with no trace of Cremastra. However, every other day I found some other species, so the leech bites I got every day was worth a deal. Finally, on the 17th day of survey at that place, I found three plants of this species, one in full bloom and the other two in buds. The plants were hardly 25 to 30 cm in height only, so I have to sit flat on the forest floor for documenting it, which made the leeches so healthy!!!. Every evening I spend considerable time in pulling them off from my body. Even the “imported” leech guards we use for those terrains were of no use. Documented it very well to my great satisfaction and returned home with all those leeches all over my body. While comparing the photographs with various descriptions on that evening, I found out the peculiarity in the lip of the flower. Wished to a have a low angle photograph to bring out its details. Travelled again to the area the next day to see the second plant also in bloom, which was around 30 cm in height. To get a low angle shot of a 30 cm height plant on a forest floor full of leeches is like offering a grand feast to the leech community. My previous encounters made me insert cotton balls into my nostrils and ear holes. Lied flat on the forest floor for that particular low angle photograph, the rest was not something I want to experience again!!!! I still remember the satisfaction I got on that evening, when I transferred the photographs into my laptop.
