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Orchids of Silent Valley
Hundred and seven species and one subspecies of orchids belonging to 54 genera have been found to occur in Silent Valley. This includes a new genus Seidenfadeniella Sathish and four new species – Bulbophyllum silentvalliensis Sharma & Srivastava, Eria tiagii Manilal, Sathish & Wood, Kingidum niveum Sathis and Robiquetia josephianaManilal & Sathish. The newly proposed Oberonia chandrasekharanii V.J. Nair, V.S.Ramachandran & R. Ansari from Kannur is also found to occur in Silent Valley. On critical studies three newly described taxa from Silent Valley viz., Liparis indirae Manilal & Sathish, Oberonia bisaccata Manilal & Sathis and Porpax chandrasekharanii Bhargavan & Mohanan already have been reduced to synonyms of Liparis wrayi J.D Hook., Oberonia platycaulon Wigth and Eria exilis J.D.Hook. and Vanda thwaitesii J.D.Hook. Which were long though to be extinct were rediscovered. Dendrobium panduratum Lindl. thought to be endemic to Sri. Lanka and extinct was newly recorded from Silent Valley. |
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Eulophia emilianae Saldanha, Liparis wrayi J.D.Hook., Oberonia bicornis Lindl. and O. tenuis Lindl. were recorded from the area as new additions to the flora of Kerala. Thirty species have exceedingly beautiful flowers and hence are of significant ornamental value. Three species have very narrow range of distribution necessitating their being considered threatened.
Out of the 107 species and one sub species of orchids, 45 species and one subspecies belonging to 27 genera are terrestrial in habit while 66 species in 27 genera are epiphytic. The following table gives a summary of the orchid taxa occurring in Silent Valley.
| No. |
Genera |
No.of species |
| 1 |
Acanthephippium B1 |
1 |
| 2 |
Aerides Lour |
3 |
| 3 |
Anoectochilus B1 |
1 |
| 4 |
Aphyllorchis B1 |
1 |
| 5 |
Arundina B1 |
1 |
| 6 |
Bulbophyllum Thouars |
4 |
| 7 |
Calanthe R. Br. |
1 |
| 8 |
Cheirostylis B1 |
1 |
| 9 |
Chiloschista Lindl. |
1 |
| 10 |
Chrysoglossum B1 |
1 |
| 11 |
Cirrhopetalum Lindl. |
1 |
| 12 |
Coelogyne Lindl. |
4 |
| 13 |
Corymborkis Thouars |
1 |
| 14 |
Cottonia Wight |
1 |
| 15 |
Cymbidium SW |
1 Subsp. |
| 16 |
Dendrobium SW. |
10 |
| 17 |
Didymoplexis Griff. |
1 |
| 18 |
Disperis Sw. |
1 |
| 19 |
Epipogium Gmel. ex Borkh. |
1 |
| 20 |
Eria Lindl. |
7 |
| 21 |
Eulophia R. Br. ex Lindl. |
2 |
| 22 |
Flickingeria Hawkes |
1 |
| 23 |
Gastrochilus D. Don |
2 |
| 24 |
Geodorum Jacks. |
1 |
| 25 |
Goodyera R. Br. |
1 |
| 26 |
Habenaria Wild |
12 |
| 27 |
Ipsea Lindl |
1 |
| 28 |
Kingidium P.F. Hunt |
1 |
| 29 |
Liparis L.C. Rich |
4 |
| 30 |
Luisia Gaud |
2 |
| 31 |
Malaxis Sol ex Sw |
3 |
| 32 |
Nervilia Comm. ex Gaud |
1 |
| 33 |
Oberonia Lindl. |
11 |
| 34 |
Pachystoma B1. |
1 |
| 35 |
Paplionanthe Schltr. |
1 |
| 36 |
Pecteilis Rafin. |
1 |
| 37 |
Peristylus B1. |
2 |
| 38 |
Pholidota Lindl. ex Hook |
1 |
| 39 |
Podochilus B1 |
1 |
| 40 |
Polystachya Hook |
1 |
| 41 |
Porpax Lindl. |
2 |
| 42 |
Robiquetia Gaud. |
2 |
| 43 |
Schoenorchis Reinw. |
1 |
| 44 |
Seidenfadeniella Sathish |
1 |
| 45 |
Sirhookera Kuntze |
2 |
| 46 |
Spiranthes L.C. Rich |
1 |
| 47 |
Tainia B1 |
1 |
| 48 |
Thelasis B1 |
1 |
| 49 |
Trias Lindl. |
1 |
| 50 |
Trichoglottis B1 |
1 |
| 51 |
Tropidia Lindl. |
1 |
| 52 |
Vanda Jones ex R. Br. |
2 |
| 53 |
Xenikophyton Garay |
1 |
| 54 |
Zeuxine Lindl. |
2 |
For more reading:
Observations on the epiphytic flora of Silent Valley
- Muktesh Kumar & Stephen Sequiera » |
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Perhaps it was all worth it. Some human being walking through it sometimes, passing an inner revolution, shall ask the question : " Oh Mother, am I thy flesh and blood, feel and fever; shall I be thine and would would you be mine ?" That Silent question will be responded to in Silence; in the Silence by the reverential bowing of human will and the trailing branches of trees in Silent Valley.
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