The Curious Lives of Orchids in the Northern Western Ghats
Photo StoryPublished : May 03, 2023Updated : Sep 30, 2023
The biodiverse Western Ghats are a storehouse of blooming wild orchids, especially in the monsoon
Text by: Malavika Bhattacharya
The biodiverse Western Ghats are a storehouse of blooming wild orchids, especially in the monsoon
When you think of India’s vast wilderness and all the treasures it holds, orchids may not be the first thing to cross your mind. These beautiful flowering plants are often overlooked in favour of large charismatic fauna or impressive trees. In our domestic gardens, however, orchids are some of the most coveted plants to grow or to gift. In the wild, orchids grow everywhere, in varying climatic conditions, on the ground, on trees, in decaying organic matter, and sometimes even on solid rock.
Though orchids are found worldwide, they thrive most in wet, tropical climates. You’ll find them across India, except in extremely dry, cold, or hot regions. Orchids have a high concentration in biodiverse areas like the Northeast Himalayas and the Western Ghats.
The orchid family (Orchidaceae) is the second-largest family of flowering plants, with about 20,000 species. It is second only to the sunflower (Asteraceae) family, which has about 24,000 species.
In 2019, the Botanical Survey of India published results of the country’s first orchid census in Orchids of India: A Pictorial Guide, placing the total number of orchid species in the country at 1256. Even for a vast and topographically diverse country, this is a staggering variety.
Northeast India is known for its orchid diversity. Arunachal Pradesh has more than 600 recorded species of orchids and is also home to India’s first orchid sanctuary, the Sessa Orchid Sanctuary. A number of northeastern states have orchids as their state flower — for instance, the foxtail orchid (Rhynchostylis retusa) for Arunachal Pradesh and Assam and the noble orchid (Cymbidium goeringii) for Sikkim.
The Western Ghats are known for their high orchid endemism. Of the 388 orchid species that are endemic to India, 123 are found in the Western Ghats, and 41 are endemic specifically to the northern Western Ghats region. Here, orchids bloom in every season, withstanding harsh sunshine and torrential rain. In the northern Western Ghats of Amboli and Goa, you’ll often see some species growing unobtrusively by the side of the road, away from the boundaries of protected areas.
This photo essay is an introduction to some of the orchids in the Northern Western Ghats in the regions of Maharashtra and Goa. Find out where you can see them, how to identify them based on their unique appearance, learn their somewhat curious names, and the many questions that surround these enigmatic plants.
Orchids are classified as terrestrial (ground-growing), epiphytes (growing on other plants and trees) and lithophytes (growing on rocks). According to Wild Orchids of the Northern Western Ghats, about 60 per cent of orchid species in this region are epiphytes, and 40 per cent are terrestrial. I see a profusion of these flowering plants across Amboli in Maharashtra and the forests of Goa – not just within the boundaries of protected areas but lining mountain roads busy with tourist traffic. Though orchids are especially abundant during the monsoon, you will see some varieties of orchids in other seasons too. From June to early October, several different species of monsoon orchids bloom in these wet forests of the northern Western Ghats. Photos: Omkar Dharwadkar (1), Aruna at Malayalam Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 (2)
In the monsoon, a variety of wildflowers bloom in many parts of the Western Ghats. One can find nearly 30 orchid species in Amboli, with at least ten varieties just on (1) the Chaukul laterite plateau. The trident orchid, named for its three-pronged leaves, hangs off tree trunks and clumps of silverleaf orchids growing off trees. Several (2) Peristylus densus line Chaukul Road — a slender green stalk with tiny yellow blooms sticking straight up from the ground like a stylus pen. Photos: Omkar Dharwadkar
In early September, amidst a carpet of monsoon wildflowers on the Chaukul Plateau in Amboli, I catch the last of the season’s toothbrush orchids (Habenaria heyneana). They start blooming in mid-August and last for two to three weeks. The delicate white flowers of this terrestrial orchid are stacked vertically, and all point in the same direction, much like the bristles of a toothbrush (hence the name). Photos: Omkar Dharwadkar
The largest genus of terrestrial orchids found in India is the Habenaria, encompassing nearly 100 species. These include the endemic and commonly seen Habenaria multicaudata (1 & 2), also called the spider orchid for the long, wispy tentacles its flowers sport, and the extremely rare Elwes Habenaria (Habenaria elwesii) (3 & 4). “There are very few of these left in the wild”, says naturalist Omkar Dharwadkar when we spot the latter growing unassumingly in the undergrowth by a mountain path in Goa. The wild grass had been cleared recently, and many orchid stems lay carelessly chopped with it. In this landscape’s tangle of plants, grasses, and trees, only experts can identify small plants of immense value (like these orchids). Without adequate knowledge and training, standard maintenance tasks like road clearing can prove drastically destructive to vulnerable plant species like these. Photos: Omkar Dharwadkar
Tree-growing orchids are at great risk of habitat loss from tree felling. The largest genus of epiphytes in India is Dendrobium, encompassing nearly 105 species (green lipped Dendrobium or Dendrobium ovatum above). Epiphytes remain somewhat of a mystery, with researchers trying to understand why they grow where they do. Some theories suggest that these plants are searching for light. In dense rainforests, where little sunlight reaches the ground, epiphytes prefer the higher reaches of the forest to access sunlight. Though they grow on trees, these plants are not parasitic. Instead, they draw nutrition from the organic matter in the cracks and crevices of tree branches. Photo: Dinesh Valke from Thane, India, CC BY-SA 2.0
How do tree-growing orchids choose host trees and locations? In Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary, we see the Eria microchilos on the branch of a jamun tree. On a laterite plateau in Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary, five varieties of orchids spring from a single Terminalia paniculata tree. These orchids can grow at the base of branches or in the canopy and remain there throughout the year. “Some species lose their leaves and remain as tubers during the dry season”, says Omkar. These plants will then develop fresh shoots in the monsoon. This epiphyte (above) is from the Aerides family on a Careya arborea tree. Photo: Dhritiman Mukherjee
When host trees are cut, numerous species of epiphytes growing on them are also lost. Even single trees function as entire habitats, supporting a diverse wealth of plant and animal life. Mining, tree logging, roads, and railways in the Western Ghats are problems that continue to plague this fragile ecosystem, leading to habitat loss and, ultimately, the depletion of orchid wealth in these forests. Photos: Dhritiman Mukherjee
