Ginger, orchid species discovered in Manipur

Sobhapati Samom

IMPHAL, Sept 9 – An orchid breeder-led research teams have discovered the World’s newest ginger species besides two new orchids in Manipur recently. But it was made public only after they were published in international scientific journals.

The new ginger species Zingiber Kangleipakense which was endemic to Manipur was discovered by orchid breeder RK Kishor when he was working in Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development in association with researcher Jana Leong Skornickova of The Herbarium, Singapore Botanic Gardens.

In Manipur, the new ginger species known as ‘Namra’ and its young rhizome along with the pseudostem are sold in local vegetable markets and are used as a minor vegetable by cooking with fermented fish, potato and other items in making the local delicacy – ‘iromba’.

“We never think of identifying such kind of species though we consumed it everyday”, said Kishor, presently working as a Senior Research Associate of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. He was speaking to media persons at his Imphal residence here this afternoon.

“The exploration activities should be hastened in places like Manipur which is one of the most threatened biodiversity hot spots to prevent extinction of species before discovery,”he pleaded.

The two new orchids – Dendrobium Tamenglongense and Ione Kipgenii – were also discovered by Kishor-led research team of Centre for Orchid Gene Conservation of the Eastern Himalayan Region during a survey in the forests of Manipur where around 286 orchid species grow.

The rose size new orchid – Dendrobium Tamenglongense having white flowers closely resembles Dendrobium Jayantianum of Meghalaya and Dendrobium Longicormu of Ukhrul (Manipur), was discovered from the Kahulong and Longku area in Tamenglong district bordering Assam and Nagaland while Ione Kipgenii which was smaller than a one rupee coin from Kwatha area in Chandel district bordering Myanmar.

Ione Kipgenii resembles I cirrhata which occurs in Bhutan, China (Yunnan), India (Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Darjeeling) and Myanmar.

The specific epithet Kipgenii is given in honour of Haokholet Kipgen, Chief of Hengbung village and an orchid enthusiast while the specific epithet of Dendrobium Tamenglongense is derived from Tamenglong district of Manipur, from where the new species was collected.