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Orchids of Northeast India
Northeast India has a rich diversity of flora and is often considered the ‘cradle of flowering plants.’ Orchids are among some of the most widespread plant families found contributing to this diversity. In India, the study of orchids was first recorded in the section on Orchideae in Sir J.D. Hooker’s The flora of British India, published between 1875 and 1897. Of around 1300 orchid species growing in India, more than 850 species are reportedly from the northeastern states. Among these states, the highest distribution of orchid species is found in Arunachal Pradesh, also known as the ‘Orchid Paradise’ of India, closely followed by Sikkim. However, orchids are intrinsically tied to local populations as well as its traditional knowledge systems and cultures in all states, notwithstanding the density of orchid species found in each of them.
Local orchids in the northeast
Rhynchostylis retusa, the state flower of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh
The Rhynchostylis retusa is a kind of foxtail orchid with pink or purple and white flowers packed on a creeping stem. It is found abundantly all through northeast India, particularly in Assam and in the foothills of Arunachal Pradesh. It blooms once a year in April marking the onset of spring, and has been named the state flower for both states.
The Rhynchostylis retusa, locally known as kopou phool, is indispensable to Assamese culture as it signifies the festival of Rongali Bihu (also known as Bohag Bihu), that is, the Assamese New Year. These flowers have become synonymous with Bihu as well as merriment, fertility and love both among humans and nature. These orchids are themselves celebrated as themes of folk songs, poetry and art. Kopou phool is commonly seen adorning the hair of young women dancing Bihu. Similar practices also exist among the women of Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur, the latter of whom beautify their hair with orchids, while also using it ornamentally in armlets.
Bihu dancers with kopou phool wrapped around their hair
Dendrobium fimbriatum found in East Kameng, Arunachal Pradesh
In the West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh, orchids of the genus Dendrobium occupy a sacred place as they are used in the decoration of local Buddhist monasteries called gompas. Orchids occupy a position of great socio-religious importance among other tribes of the northeast, especially the Tai ethnics of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. Wild orchids find themselves being utilised both as food, fodder and in folk medical treatments and herbal healthcare. These are part of traditional knowledge that has been passed down for generations by local people. The Khamtis of Arunachal Pradesh are considered to be the most informed about the herbal medicinal uses of orchids.
In recent times, many species of orchid found in northeast India have garnered attention for being threatened by deforestation, biopiracy and illegal trade in exotic plants. Community-based wildlife preservation, such as conserving orchids within sacred groves that are their natural habitats, has long been a part of the socio-economic culture of the people of this region. There also exists a vast network of sanctuaries, reserves, national parks and world heritage sites aimed at the conservation of threatened flora such as the orchid. The Sessa Orchid Sanctuary in the West Kameng District of Arunachal Pradesh is an example of a protected area dedicated to orchids in this regard. It currently has more than 200 orchid species. Twenty kilometres from Sessa, the Orchid Research and Development Centre is an orchidarium with its own nursery and tissue culture laboratory.
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