Language: English
Ziro in the eastern Himalayas is a scenic valley with vast expanses of paddy fields surrounded by gentle rolling pine-covered hills and unexplored dense forest. It is the headquarters of Lower Subansiri District of Arunachal Pradesh in north-east India and situated at an elevation of 5538 to 8000 ft above mean sea level.
Orchids of Ziro: Arunachal Pradesh is a result of the author's exploration of this area where he collected 150 species, out of a total of 184 species located and studied in Ziro – with 30 new reports for the state, which includes 11 new reports for the whole of India. The list includes Anoectochilus regalis Blume, Bulbophyllum corallinum Tixier and Guillaumin, Calanthe velutina Ridl., Dendrobium brunneum Schuit. and Peter B. Adams and Lecanorchis japonica Blume etc.
For the compilation, the author criss-crossed more than 12,000 km on foot, covering almost all the forested areas of Ziro, comprising seven villages and the protected areas of Tale Wildlife Sanctuary. Each species is presented with two photographs – habitat as well as close-up of the flower – while the description and other details are compiled from the specimens studied in-situ. The findings reveal that Ziro is the place with the largest concentration of various orchid species in India, if not on Earth.