Orchids of Arunachal Pradesh

In Arunachal's rich flora and fauna, one must make a special mention of the orchids. Of the thousands or so species of orchids in India, Arunachal is home to over 500 of them. These orchids bloom in a brilliant hue of colours and come in some spectacular shapes and sizes. Some of them bear exotic names like Sita-pushpa and Draupadi-pushpa, as it is believed that these Goddesses have worn the orchids. Arunachal Pradesh Forest Department has developed an Orchid Research and Development Centre at Tipi in West Kameng district for propagation and conservation of these species. In addition to this Orchidarium at Tipi, two Orchid conservation sanctuaries have been developed at Sessa and Dirang in West Kameng district. In the rich tropical forests of the Tirap district, clusters of the beautiful blue Vanda (Vanda coerulea) adorn the trees. Their large blue - violet blooms are delicately veined, swaying gently in the breeze - whispering among themselves the secrets of their beauty. The bamboo orchid, Arundina graminifolia, the pretty evergreen species can be seen blooming with attractive pink - purple flowers in open the sunny areas, blushing and bowing in the areas near Tipi. An Orchid Research Centre at Tipi boasts of a good collection of orchids. Dendrobium gibsonii are clusters of beautifully formed yellow flowers coloured with a rich maroon in the center. And the Dendrobium nobile are white and purple flowers found along the roads leading to Sessa from Tipi. Sessa, 24 km from Tipi, has an Orchid Sanctuary, which abounds in a variety of species including the beautiful white Coelogyne nitida (which grows on moss covered rocks), the tree borne yellow; Cymbidium elegans and Dendrobium chrysanthum (bright yellow flowers with two dark reddish brown blotches in the centre) present a magnificent sight when in bloom. In Dirang Orchid Sanctuary, Paphiopedilum fairieanum - The "Lost lady slipper orchid" which is very rare, endangered and endemic orchid found in dirang area. Tipi is house to tropical orchids, Sessa for Sub-tropical orchids and Dirang is for temperate orchids.