[Assam] Two Orchids from Assam

[Chan Mahanta]

It is a very complicated issue Uttam.

Orchids are very special plants. Their cultural requirements are very 
demanding. You can keep them alive and even make them grow well out 
of their natural habitats, but you may not be able to make them 
bloom. Kopou-ful ( Rhynchostylis retusa)  is almost impossible to 
bring to bloom, even in a simple green house like ours. It needs 
precise temperature , humidity and brightness of light conditions 
that can be replicated only in a very sophisticated greenhouse.

International laws prohibit collecting, owning, selling or exporting 
of orchids from their natural habitats. Only commercially grown 
orchids can be exported or imported. And to import to the USA the 
exporter must be able to furnish proof that:

A: It is commercially grown and can be certified in accordance with 
CITES regulations.

B: That the plants are not contaminated with organisms such as fungi, 
bacteria or viruses. This is done by  producing  what is called 
"phytosanitary certification" from an accredited laboratory.

Among the many orchid producing countries of the world India and 
Bangladesh are the only ones that I know of that do not have lab. 
facilities that would be recognized by the USA. So no orchid export 
takes place, legally, from India to the USA.


Incidentally, almost all but the rarest of rare or endangered orchids 
that grow in south Asia can be purchased from many orchid growers 
across the USA, Europe, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan etc. 
They are not even as expensive as some of the hybrids. The reasons 
are several:

A: Orchids from Assam and the surrounding region are what is called 
"species" orchids--not hybrids. They are pure. But they are not easy 
to care for, have stringent cultural needs.

B: As showy as our orchids are, the flowers are short lived, compared 
to many orchids from other regions.

The two orchids whose pictures I posted here will last, at most,  two 
weeks. That is nothing compared to some or hybrid Dendrobiums  or 
Phalaenopses or Cymbidiums or Oncidiums that routinely last two to 
three months. BTW some varieties of the latter two grow in the wilds 
of Arunachal as well as the Khasi Hills. The only cymbidiums we see 
in the Brahmaputra valley are those that grow on the trunks and 
branches of huge trees  that produce little and not-so-attractive 
flowers on long pendulous growths. These are called Cymbidium 
pendulata. Even though these are not showy, they are sought after by 
breeders for cross breeding to produce more attractive hybrids. But 
they are extremely difficult to bring to bloom in temperate climates. 
I have had a large plant for years, but no flowers!

Commercial orchid growing, both as cut flowers as well as plants have 
a great potential in Assam,. But transportation and cold storage for 
flowers and CITES and Phytosanitary certification for export are the
road-blocks, as they always have been.

Few things change in India as you well know.












At 2:34 AM +0100 4/10/08, uttam borthakur wrote:
>The magic of the green fingers. It is simply glorious.
>   
>   Chandan Da, is there any easy procedure for taking seeds, saplings 
>etc. from here to US on demand from friends/ relatives or it has to 
>be a covert work?
>
>Chan Mahanta <cmahanta at charter.net> wrote:
>   Sorry I sent the message without the picture. Here it is:
>
>
>
>
>Here are two glorious orchids from Assam in bloom in our living room.
>
>The yellow one on the left is Dendrobium fibriatum and the white one
>with the yellow center is Dendrobium farmeri. Both are widely found
>in the Khasi Hills and cooler areas of Assam as in Upper Assam.
>
>cm_______________________________________________
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>
>
>Uttam Kumar Borthakur
>
>       
>---------------------------------
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