****************************************************************** ORCHID DIVERSITY OF ASSAM, INDIA: ACAMPE Lindley.

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1 ****************************************************************** ORCHID DIVERSITY OF ASSAM, INDIA: ACAMPE Lindley. Khyanjeet Gogoi¹, Rajendra Yonzone² ¹TOSEHIM, Regional Orchids Germplasm Conservation & Propagation Centre (Assam Circle) Daisa Bordoloi Nagar, Talap, Tinsukia , Assam, India. ²Dept. of Botany, St. Joseph's College, North Point, District Darjeeling, W. B., India ¹Author for correspondence Photos by first author Abstract In the orchid flora of Assam, 3 species of Acampe are recorded viz., A. ochracea, A. praemorsa and A. rigida in an intensive field survey during This paper deals Acampe species diversity and distribution in Assam of North East India. This attempt is the first step to correct its taxonomic identification and workout currently accepted botanical names with the habitats, phenology and general distribution of Acampe species in this region. Key Words: Acampe Species, Diversity resources, Distribution, Assam. INTRODUCTION The Indian state of Assam is the gateway of the northeast region which bears a separate identity phytogeographically and represents a number of different types of plant communities. The region s unique ecosystem favors the luxuriant growth of plants considered a natural reservoir of plants resources. Almost all varieties of plants relating to different climatic conditions are found in the state where orchids are a major interesting component of vegetation (Bhagabati et al. 2006). Assam orchids show all the types of habits and growth forms found in orchidaceous plants. Assam is the second largest state of North-East India and is a rich storehouse of Indian orchid species. The forests of Assam possess a large number of beautiful important orchids (Gogoi et al. 2009). The total number of orchid species may be around 398 specific and including 6 intraspecific taxa belonging 102 genera, including terrestrial and epiphytic species (Gogoi et al. 2015). Some orchid species are associated with the historical culture of Assamese people. There is a tradition of using orchids by different tribes of Assam in their individual cultures (Barua, 2001). The genus was established by John Lindley in The generic name is derived from the Greek words,akampes (rigid), as the flowers in the genus are small and brittle (Chowdhery, 1998). There are about ten species in India, China, S. E. Asia and tropical Africa (Chen et al 2009), Six are in India (Mishra, 2007). 5 During the intensive field survey work were carried out covering all the seasons of the year in all parts of the forest areas of Assam for orchids of the state, 3 species of Acampe have been collected. All the species are enumerated below along with latest nomenclature, habitat ecology, brief description and phenology, local and general distribution. Colour photographs for all the species have been provided. MATERIALS AND METHODS The intensive field surveys were carried out during covering all the seasons of the year in all parts of the forest areas of Assam. Collected orchid specimens along with Acampe species were made into standard mounted herbarium sheets following the procedure of Jain and Roa, The authors have done photographs and sketched the available orchid species from the region. The specimens were identified, described and nomenclature checked with the help of the literatures of Hooker, 1890; King and Pantling, 1898; Seidenfaden, 1962; Deva, 1968; Pradhan, 1979; Pearce and Cribb, 2002; Mishra, 2007; Lucksom, 2007; Chowdhery, 1998, and specimen authentication was done in herbarium of department of Botany Guwahati University and BSI Shillong (Assam herbarium). BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION ACAMPE Lindl., Fol. Orchid. 4: 1 (1853). Plants epiphytic or lithophytic, monopodial herb. Stems simple or branched, stout, leafy. Leaves distichous, conduplicate, leathery, sometimes somewhat fleshy, apex emarginate or bilobed. Inflorescence axillary, racemose, corymbose, or paniculate; floral bracts persistent, inconspicuous, scalelike. Flowers fragile, not resupinate, small, fleshy. Sepals and petals similar, flat to curved. Lip saccate or with a short spur, adnate to column, immovable, rigid, variously lobed, fleshy, papillose, tuberculate, sometimes dentate; spur lacking any internal tongue or median septum. Column short, fleshy, glabrous or papillose; stelidia 2, toothlike; foot absent; anther cap ovoid, apiculate; pollinia 4, united in 2 pairs, globose; caudicle linear, thick; viscidium oval, small; stigma transverse, concave; rostellum short, emarginate. Key to the species 1a. Lip epichile rugose, margin not wavy A. rigida 1b. Lip epichile coarsely warty, margin wavy. 2a. Inflorescence paniculate, 5 14 cm; lateral lobes of lip protruding; column with 2 short, distinct horns A. ochracea 2b. Inflorescence subumbellate, 1 4 cm, lateral lobes of lip not protruding; column lacking distinct horns A. papillosa Acampe ochracea (Lindl.) Hochr. Bull. New York Bot. Gard. 6: 270 (1910). Pra- 6

2 dhan, Indian Orchid-II, 525 (1979); Kumar et. Monilal, Cat. Ind. Orch. 63 (1994); Chowdhery, Orch. Fl. Arunachal Prad., 39 (1998); Misra, Orch. India. 280 (2007). (Figs: 1, 2, 3) Plants to 100 cm long, stout. Leaves many, well spaced, distichous, spreading horizontally, narrowly oblong, cm, base amplexicaul-sheathing, apex obtuse and unequally bilobed. Inflorescences several, leaves opposite, ascending, paniculate, 5 14 cm, with many short branches. Flowers slightly fragrant; sepals and petals yellowish green with reddish brown transverse stripes and spots, lip white, spotted with purple-red, spur and anther cap yellow. Dorsal sepal obovate, cm, obtuse; lateral sepals slightly oblique, obovate-oblong, slightly smaller than dorsal sepal, obtuse. Petals oblanceolate, cm, obtuse. Lip slightly 3-lobed; lateral lobes erect, deltoid, very small; midlobe reflexed, deltoid, obtuse, with a short conic projection abaxially, adaxially with many small warts, margin slightly undulate; spur straight, inside with dense white hairs. Column stout, with short hairs. Flowering: November December. Habitat: Epiphyte on tree trunk in open forests. Distribution: NE India, China, Bhutan, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam. Fig. 1. Acampe ochracea (Lindl.) Hochr Inflorescence. Saccolabium ochraceum Lindl., Edwards's Bot. Reg. 28(Misc.): 2 (1842). Gastrochilus ochraceus (Lindl.) Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 661 (1891). Acampe dentata Lindl., Fol. Orchid. 4: 3 (1853). Saccolabium lineolatum Thwaites, Enum. Pl. Zeyl.: 304 (1861). Acampe griffithii Rchb.f., Flora 55: 277 (1872). Fig. 2. Acampe ochracea (Lindl.) Hochr Close-in photo of flowers. 7 8

3 Acampe praemorsa (Roxb.) Blatt. & Mc Cann, J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 35: 495 (1932). Kumar et. Monilal, Cat. Ind. Orch. 63 (1994); Misra, Orch. India. 280 (2007). (Figs: 4, 5, 6) Acampe papillosa (Lindl.) Lindl., Fol. Orchid. 2 (1853). Epidendrum praemorsum Roxb., Pl. Coromandel 1: 34 (1795). Cymbidium praemorsum (Roxb.) Sw., Nova Acta Regiae Soc. Sci. Upsal. 6: 75 (1799). Sarcanthus praemorsus (Roxb.) Lindl. ex Spreng., Syst. Veg. 3: 721 (1826). Sarcochilus praemorsus (Roxb.) Spreng., Syst. Veg. 3: 721 (1826). Saccolabium papillosum Lindl., Edwards's Bot. Reg. 18: t (1833). Rhynchostylis papillosa (Lindl.) Heynh., Alph. Aufz. Gew.: 594 (1847). Saccolabium praemorsum (Roxb.) Hook.f., Fl. Brit. India 6: 62 (1890), nom. illeg. Gastrochilus papillosus (Lindl.) Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 661 (1891), nom. superfl. Vanda wightiana Lindl. ex Wight, Icon. Pl. Ind. Orient. 5: t (1851). Acampe excavata Lindl., Fol. Orchid. 4: 3 (1853). Acampe wightiana (Lindl. ex Wight) Lindl., Fol. Orchid. 4: 2 (1853). Vanda fasciata Gardner ex Lindl., Fol. Orchid. 4: 2 (1853). Saccolabium papillosum Dalzell & A.Gibson, Bombay Fl.: 264 (1861), nom. illeg. Saccolabium wightianum (Lindl. ex Wight) Hook.f., Fl. Brit. India 6: 62 (1890), nom. illeg. Fig. 4 Acampe praemorsa (Roxb.) Blatt. & Mc Cann Plants 5 20 long, laxly clothed with many distichous leaves. Leaves oblong, cm, amplexicaul-sheathing at base, apex obtuse and slightly unequally bilobed. Inflorescence several, leaves opposite or axillary, 1 4 cm, subumbellate, densely many flowered. Flowers 1 cm across, yellow, slightly fragrant, opening widely; sepals and petals yellow with reddish brown transverse stripes, lip white, slightly spotted with purple-red, spur yellow. Dorsal sepal oblong, cm, obtuse; lateral sepals falcateoblong, cm, obtuse. Petals oblong, as long as dorsal sepal and narrower. Lip inconspicuously 3- lobed, divided into hypochile and epichile; hypochile a narrow margin around entrance of spur; epichile ovate; spur straight, inside with dense white hairs; column, stout, slightly shortly hairy; capsule erect or fusi- ascending, form. Flowering: November December. Habitat: Epiphyte on tree trunk. Distribution: India, China, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam. Bangladesh, Bhutan, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal. Fig. 5. Acampe praemorsa (Roxb.) Blatt. & Mc Cann Close-in, frontal aspect of flower. 9 10

4 Acampe rigida (Buch.-Ham. ex J. E. Smith) P. F. Hunt, Kew Bull. 24: 98 (1970); Pradhan, Indian Orchid-II. 524 (1979); Kumar et. Monilal, Cat. Ind. Orch. 63 (1994); Chowdhery, Orch. Fl. Arunachal Prad. 41 (1998). (Figs. 7, 8, 9) Aerides rigida Buch.-Ham. ex Sm. in A.Rees, Cycl. 39: 12 (1818). Vanda multiflora Lindl., Coll. Bot.: t. 38 (1826). Vanda longifolia Lindl., Gen. Sp. Orchid. Pl.: 215 (1833). Acampe longifolia (Lindl.) Lindl., Fol. Orchid. 4: 1 (1853). Acampe multiflora (Lindl.) Lindl., Fol. Orchid. 4: 1 (1853). Acampe intermedia Rchb.f., Allg. Gartenzeitung 24: 217 (1856). Acampe wightiana var. longipedunculata Trimen, Syst. Cat. Fl. Pl. Ceylon: 90 (1885). Saccolabium longifolium (Lindl.) Hook.f., Fl. Brit. India 6: 62 (1890). Gastrochilus longifolius (Lindl.) Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 661 (1891). Gastrochilus longifolius (Lindl.) Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 661 (1891). Acampe penangiana Ridl., J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 32: 358 (1896). Vanda viminea Guillaumin, Bull. Soc. Bot. France 77: 336 (1930). Acampe taiwaniana S.S.Ying, Chin. Fl. 9: 30 (1974). Acampe longifolia (Lindl.) Lindl., Fol. Orchid, Acampe, 1, Fig. 8. Acampe rigida (Buch.-Ham. ex J. E. Smith) P. F. Hunt Flower, close, frontal aspect. Epiphyte, Stems up to cm long, stout, unbranched, internodes 2 3 cm, with many distichous leaves. Leaves ascending, lorate, cm, rather fleshy, sheathing at base, apex obtuse and unequally bilobed. Inflorescence axillary or leaf opposite, suberect, 7 30 cm, many flowered. Flowers somewhat fragrant, not opening widely, yellow with purplish brown transverse stripes, lip white, with purplish brown longitudinal stripes above. Sepals similar, oblong, cm, obtuse. Petals narrowly obovate, cm, obtuse. Lip thickly fleshy, 3-lobed; lateral lobes subquadrate; mid-lobe suberect, ovateligulate, cm, margin slightly undulate and irregularly incised, apex obtuse, slightly recurved; spur conic, inside densely hairy, apex obtuse. Column stout; capsule suberect, cylindric or narrowly fusiform. Fig. 7. Acampe rigida (Buch.-Ham. ex J. E. Smith) P. F. Hunt Flowering: June July. Habitat: Epiphyte on tree trunks or large branches in riverine and secondary forest. Distribution: Southern and east Africa, Sri Lanka, India, Burma, China, Taiwan, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Peninsular Malaysia. 12

5 It is observed that the abundant growth and diversity of the orchid species in the intact sites of the study area and whole orchidaceous family is under threat because of continuous degradation of natural habitat by anthropogenic activities, frequent landslides, soil erosion, over grazing, developmental schemes, extension of agricultural lands, and the accumulation of pesticides and their residual compounds. To conserve the orchids, it is necessary to conserve their habitats, and it is necessary to understand preferences of orchids especially orchid-supporting trees. Such trees in the forests should be given protection. LITERATURE CITED CONCLUSIONS During recent field studies of 3 species of Acampe (A. ochracea, A. praemorsa and A. rigida) were recorded. Out of three A. ochracea was found to be rare. A. praemorsa and A. rigida are common species in the regions. 13 Barua, I. C Orchid Flora of Kamrup District. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, Dehra Dun India. Bhagabati, A. K., M. C. Kalita, and S. Baruah Biodiversity of Assam. Assam Science Society, Guwahati, Assam, India. Chen. X., Z. Liu, G. Zhu, K. Lang, Z. Ji, Y. Luo, X. Jin, P. J. Cribb, J. J. Wood, S. W. Gale, P. Ormerod, J. J. Vermeulen, H. P. Wood, D. Clayton, & A. Bell Orchidaceae, in Wu, Z., Raven, P. H. & Hong, D. (eds), Flora of China, vol. 25. Science Press, Beijing; Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis, USA. Chowdhery, H. J Orchid Flora of Arunachal Pradesh. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, Dehra Dun, India Orchid Diversity in North-Eastern States. in: J. Orchid Soc. India, 23 (1 2): Gogoi K., R. L. Borah, and G. C. Sharma Orchid flora of Joypur Reserve Forest of Dibrugarh district of Assam, India, in: Pleione 3(2): R. Das, and R. Yonzone Orchids of Assam, North East India An annotated checklist. Int. J. Pharm. Life Sci. 6(1): Hooker, J. D Orchidaceae. In: Flora of British India. L. Reeve and Co., Ashford, Kent. V: & VI: Jain, S. K. and R. R. Rao A Handbook of Field & Herbarium methods. Today & Tomorrow s Printers & Publishers, New Delhi. King, G. and R. Pantling The Orchids of the Sikkim Himalayas. Annals of the Royal Botanical Garden Calcutta 8: Lindley, J The genera and species of Orchidaceous plants. Ridgeways. London. Lucksom, S. Z The Orchids of Sikkim and North East Himalaya: Development Area, Jiwan Thing Marg, Gangtok, East Sikkim. Misra, S Orchids of India. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, Dehra Dun, India. Pearce, N. R. and P. J. Cribb The Orchids of Bhutan. 3 (3): in Flora of Bhutan. Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburg, U. K. Pradhan U. C Indian Orchids Guide to Identification and Culture. Vol- II. Thomson Prass, Faridabad, India. Seidenfaden, G The Orchids of Thailand. The Siam Society, Bangkok. ****************************************************************** 14