What is Crepidium assamicum?

About Crepidium assamicum:

• It is a new species of orchid under the genus Crepidium.
• It was discovered in Dibru Saikhowa National Park, Assam.
• It was discovered by assistant professor of the Department of Botany, Guwahati College, Dr. Jintu Sarma and Khyanjeet Gogoi, popularly known as the Orchid Man of Assam.
• With this, the total species of Crepidium in India has increased to 19, and globally, the number touched the mark of 281.
• Scientific reports verify that there are about 27,000 species of diverse orchids in the world, with India hostingabout 1,265 of them and Northeast India about 800. Assam harbors about 414 species of orchids.

Key Facts about Dibru Saikhowa National Park:

• It is a national park as well as a biosphere reserve located in Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts, Assam.
• It is bound by the Brahmaputra and Lohit Rivers in the north and the Dibru River in the south.
• Vegetation: The forest type of Dibru-Saikhowa comprises semi-evergreen forests, deciduous forests, littoral and swamp forests, and patches of wet evergreen forests. 
• It is the largest salix swamp forest in northeastern India.
• Climate: It has a tropical monsoon climate with a hot and wet summer and cool and usually dry winter. 
• Flora: Some of the dominant flora found are Dillenia indica, Bischofia javanica, Bombax ceiba, Lagerstroemia parviflora, etc.
• Fauna: Tiger, Elephant, Leopard, Jungle Cat, Bears, Small Indian Civet, Squirrels, Gangetic Dolphin, Hoolock Gibbon, Feral Horses, etc.

Q1: What are orchids?

Orchid, (family Orchidaceae) is any of nearly 1,000 genera and more than 25,000 species of attractively flowered plants distributed throughout the world, especially in wet tropics.

News: Orchid man of Assam, associate, discover new species of flora