The Hindu, November 18, 2014
The highly endangered terrestrial orchid
Ipsea malabarica
, which is endemic to the Silent Valley National Park, has bloomed deep
inside the forest after a gap of more than a decade. Known popularly as
Malabar Daffodil Orchid, it has bloomed mainly in the high-altitude
rocky grasslands of Arikumpara, Poochappara, Kunthipuzha Valley, and
Sairandhri.
“This is a rare orchid with grass-like
leaves and large golden yellow flowers. It blooms in altitudes of 1,200m
and above,” said Shilpa V. Kumar, Divisional Forest Officer,
Mannarkkad.
According to researchers, botanist T.C.
Jerdon collected this plant around 1,850 in the Silent Valley area and
the specimen is now preserved at the Natural History Museum at Wien in
Australia. It was rediscovered after a long span of 132 years in 1982.
“Since
then blooms had been reported occasionally. We have found a large
number of flowered plants in November first week,’’ said Mari, a tribal
forest watcher in the Silent Valley.
“The flowered plants will perish by January first week,” Mari said.
The
forest protective staff in Silent Valley term the blooming of the rare
orchid a result of the comprehensive protection and conservation
programmes in the valley, one of the key environmental hotspots of
Kerala.
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