KERI: Among flowering plants, orchids form 9% of our flora and are the largest family among higher plants in India. Though geographically Goa is a smaller state, it has 68 species of rich and varied orchids that add to the natural glory of the state.
Orchid flowers are mono-symmetrical as both halves of the flower mirror each other. Among the flowering plants orchids usually trick their pollinators into pollinating them and stick the pollinarium (structure in orchid flower which becomes attached to an insect during pollination) onto the animals before they even realise that they got tricked. Without the nutrients from the mother plant, orchid seeds take help from the environment in the form of a special fungi to germinate.
All orchids are perennial herbs that do not have any permanent woody structure. Mandar Datar a well-known botanist who has been studying diversity of orchids told TOI, “Goa has 68 orchid species belonging to 28 genera of which 42 are epiphytic and 26 are terrestrial, 28 species are endemic of which 23 species are endemic to the Western Ghats. Distribution of orchids in Goa is concentrated mainly in the Western Ghats, which showcase 86% of the total orchid species.”
He further said, “Among all the protected areas, the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary in Sattari was found to be rich in orchid diversity with 39 species, followed by Bhagwan Mahavir Dharbandora and Cotigao (Canacona) Sanctuaries.”
Though Goa occupies just 2% area of the Western Ghats, it is host to 7% of the endemic flowering plant species of the Western Ghats. The botanists VD Vartak in 1966 reported some orchids, RS Rao in 1986 recorded 21 species whereas botanists Mandar Datar and Lakshminarasimhan recorded 34 species of orchids from Goa.
Suryakant Gaonkar a wildlifer from Bhuipal in Sattari said, “Mining, deforestation for developmental purposes, rampant encroachment are posing danger to pristine forest habitat thereby threatening the orchids.”
Orchids are important components of the environment that play a role in the ecosystem to keep it vibrant and alive. They are indicators of the health of the ecosystem. In Goa Aerides (Draupadi Veni) and Rhynchostylis retusa (Seetechi veni) are appreciated as a symbol of sanctity and are used for their medicinal value. There is a need to create awareness for conservation of orchids and their gene pool in their natural habitats.
