ITANAGAR, Mar 12: A scientist from the Botanical Survey of India has discovered a new species of orchid – miniature in size, with beautiful copper-coloured flowers – from Kurung Kumey district.
Named Dendrobium nageswarayanum, the species, discovered by Arunachalee scientist Dr Krishna Chowlu, has been added in the latest issue of the journal of the National Academy of Sciences.
The new orchid is named in honour of Dr A Nageswara Rao, for- mer orchidologist at Arunachal’s State Forest Research Institute, for his outstanding contributions to orchidology in India.
Dr Rao has so far discovered two new genera, 39 new species, and 42 new ‘distributional records’ in India, besides 60 new records in Northeast India, 65 new additional records in Arunachal, and 70 in Manipur.
Dr Rao is also a member of the team which is developing five new hybrid orchids from Arunachal. The team has registered a new hybrid genus, Arachnocentron, with the RHS.
