Indian orchids set to be a big draw at London’s Chelsea Flower Show

Some of the finest orchids found in the Western Ghats, northeast India and the Andaman Islands will be among the big attractions at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show which opens in London on Tuesday.

At the five-day event, the orchids from India will go on display courtesy the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London, as part of the efforts to draw attention to their captivating beauty and the importance of conservation.

“The orchids have been selected from the Kew Garden collections. Bringing them all the way from India to England for the show involves huge logistical challenges,” V. Sarasan, the scientist from Kerala who is Research Leader, Ecosystem Stewardship at Kew Gardens and leading the Indian display, told The Hindu. Around 65 species from the Kew Garden collection and the Glasgow Botanic Gardens collection that are currently in flower will be on display, Dr. Sarasan said.

Among the orchids from the Western Ghats, the Paphiopedilum druryi is expected to be a big draw. Also known as the ‘Golden Paph,’ the species is endemic to the Agasthyamala region in Kerala. Other Ghats varieties include species of the genus Dendrobium. The list also has Bulbophyllum auratum, Arundina graminifolia, Dendrobium lindleyi, Bulbophyllum lilacinum found in northeast India, Eulophia andamanensis from the Andamans and two species from the Himalayan region — Coelogyne nitida and Dendrobium cumulatum.

Dendrobium fimbriatum

“The Chelsea Flower Show is world-renowned and when an orchid from Kerala like the Paphiopedilum druryi is showcased there, it is Kerala that gets showcased. It will also boost the State’s prospects on the global tourism map,” S. Pradeep Kumar, Director, Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (JNTBGRI) at Palode here said.

From the 19th Century

“Slipper orchids (due to the slipper-shaped labellum or ‘lip’ of the flower) such as the ‘Golden Paph’ are found in fragmented habitats in the Kerala and Tamil Nadu sections of the Western Ghats. The Royal Botanic Garden, Kew, has a long record dating back to the 19th Century of discovering and studying orchids of India. RBG Kew holds many Indian orchids in its living collection, some of which are critically endangered,” Dr. Sarasan said.

Kew Gardens is already working with the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE) — which represents JNTBGRI and the Malabar Botanical Garden — and several other institutions in Kerala. Areas of partnership include orchid conservation and creating ‘native orchid-enhanced’ urban landscapes.

An orchid paradise

Home to more than 1,250 orchid species, of which nearly 300 are endemic, India is easily an orchid paradise. “Arunachal Pradesh and the Western Ghats region in Kerala are hotspots for native orchid diversity. They have seven species of orchids per sq km and are behind only Ecuador and Costa Rica in terms of density of unique species,” Dr. Sarasan said.

However, deforestation, changes in land-use patterns and climate change pose severe threats to these rare and strikingly beautiful flora. Today, only small populations can be found in the wild, a scenario which underlines the importance of conservation.