The orchid wealth of the Kashmir Himalaya: Diversity, significance and conservation

Orchidaceae is one of the largest and most diversified family in the plant kingdom, with approximately 25,000 species and contributing about 10% to all angiosperms. The diversity and distribution of orchids considerably varies between continents and there is high diversity the tropics than temperate regions of the world. The Himalayas are considered to harbor the rich diversity of orchid species and more than 5000 of orchids species have already been reported from this region. The richest diversity of orchids in Himalayas is found in India with 1600 orchid species. The Kashmir Himalaya, situated in the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent extends between latitudes 32°22′–34°50′ N and longitudes 73°33′–73°55′ E, encompassing an area of approximately 222,797 km². Nestled within the foothills of the Greater Himalayas, this region harbors remarkable floristic diversity including a rich assemblage of Medicinal and Aromatic plants (MAPs) and a wide variety of orchid species of significant floricultural and pharmaceutical importance. Existing literature reports the occurrence of 44–60 orchid species in Jammu and Kashmir with Oreorchis micrantha, Dactylorhiza umbrosa and Goodyera fusca recently documented as new records for the region. Among Himalayan orchids, the genus Dactylorhiza holds particular ecological and economic significance due to its ornamental flowers and medicinally valuable tubers which are extensively harvested for the preparation of Salep. This unsustainable exploitation has led to severe population declines across its natural habitats.

Over the past decade, the Department of Botany University of Kashmir has undertaken systematic investigations to assess habitat diversity and to develop conservation strategies for key orchid species across different regions of the Kashmir Himalaya. Ethnobotanical studies, Seed biology and in vitro propagation protocols have been standardized successfully for Dactylorhiza hatagirea, Spiranthes sinensis, Cypripedium cordigerium, Oreorchis micrantha and Goodyera repens. Research on Dactylorhiza has focused on diversity and distribution patterns, ex situ conservation at the Kashmir University Botanical Garden (KUBG) and reproductive biology including floral morphology, stigma receptivity, pollen viability and seed biology. Genetic diversity analyses using PCR-based molecular markers (RAPD and ISSR) across four Dactylorhiza species revealed that habitat heterogeneity and altitudinal gradients play a significant role in shaping genetic variation. D. hatagirea and D. kafiriana exhibited moderate levels of polymorphism, whereas D. viridis and D. umbrosa were found to be largely monomorphic reflecting their threatened status and limited population sizes in the region. Future initiatives aim to include comprehensive documentation of passport data the establishment of a seed bank encompassing all orchid species reported from Jammu and Kashmir and the development of a state-of-the-art Orchidarium at the Kashmir University Botanical Garden. These efforts will support the conservation of temperate, subtropical and tropical orchids while strengthening academic, research, entrepreneurship development and capacity-building activities in orchid biology and conservation.

Keywords: Orchid, Kashmir Himalaya, documentation, Ethnobotanical, ex-situ conservation, reproductive attributes, genetic diversity, entrepreneurship development

Professor Zahoor Ahmad Kaloo is a Professor of Botany at the University of Kashmir with over 25 years of teaching and research experience. He served as the Head of the Department of Botany and Honorary Director of the Centre of Biodiversity and Taxonomy, University of Kashmir, from 2021 to 2024. He is a Member of the Wildlife Board for the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir and serves on the Expert Committee of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) for monitoring research projects. In addition, he is associated with several reputed scientific societies. His research primarily focuses on in vitro propagation, conservation biotechnology, and phytochemical studies of endangered Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAPs) of the Kashmir Himalayas. He has published 101 research articles, six book chapters, and several research reports, receiving 1,017 citations with an h-index of 18 and an i10-index of 28. He has supervised 15 Ph.D. scholars, 16 M.Phil. scholars, and three postdoctoral researchers, and has successfully completed nine research projects funded by various national agencies. In the field of Orchidology, Professor Kaloo initiated systematic research in 2010 focusing on the diversity and conservation of orchids in the Kashmir Himalayan region. Over the past sixteen years, his work has included extensive surveys and documentation of orchid species, collection and transplantation of different species to the Kashmir University Botanical Garden (KUBG), and the development of efficient agrotechnical practices for their cultivation. His studies have evaluated habitat diversity and phenotypic variability in relation to altitude and have standardized protocols for efficient in vitro seed germination. Further investigations have addressed seed morphometry, reproductive strategies, genetic diversity, and the ethnomedicinal importance of selected species. Through his research, Oreorchis micrantha Lindl., Dactylorhiza umbrosa (Kar. & Kir.) Nevski, and Goodyera fusca (Lindl.) Hook. f. have been added to the orchid flora of the Kashmir Himalaya.