Language: English
This bulk of this book describes the 99 species of wild orchids found in the North-Western Ghats, India, including 41 endemic and 44 threatened species. Each species is depicted on two facing pages with its English name, local names in Devnagari, binomial, etymology, description including habit, morphology, ecology, habitat, distribution, status, threats etc. Morphological descriptions are brief and contain only salient features under distinct headings. For each species photographs of habitat, habit, inflorescence, flowers in close-up, capsules, leaves, tubers and associated species, if any, are given. Colour variations seen in some species are also documented. The authors have added four species from the region and also listed 11 species that are likely to be encountered in the study area. Notes on the care of exotic orchids is also included.
The initial chapters before the species section give an introduction to orchids, morphology, phenology, propagation methods, conservation measures, evolution, ecology, economic uses, and a short narrative on the joys and perils of fieldwork.