Orchid in Himalayan belts

is hot topic since the subject came in the fore front in context of its exploration, conservation and multiplication. The presented book is a part of floristic inventory work carried out in different regions of Himalaya with special reference to the Nokrek biosphere reserve. The book deals in 4 sections which include 17 different subsections.

Section on “introduction and review of family Orchidaceae” (Chapter 1-2) deals with study area, people, forest types, vegetal composition, structure of flowers and inflorescence, growth parameters, diversity and distribution. This section also deals in review of literatures and renowned work done by botanists in different epochs.

The second section on “diversity and floristic documentation” (Chapter 3) highlights the floristic analysis, occurrence, habitat endemism, threat, conservation, and medicinal aspects.

The last section “taxonomic enumeration” (Chapter 4) deals with artificial key to 70 genera and describes the morphology of 140 species along with keys for easy identification. This section also includes up-to-date taxonomic citation, pheriology, habitat, chromosome number, conservation status as per IUCN, and distribution.

The approach taken here is one of detailed critical study of species complexes, with careful attention to their morphological characters. This book contains 77 coloured photographs, 40 herbarium photos, and 11 illustrations on orchid species for easy identification, authentication, and serve as a taxonomic guide for future research. Description has been kept brief for common species and elaborated for rare/endemic species.