Sobhapati Samom
IMPHAL, SEPTEMBER 8
WORLD’S newest ginger species along with two more new orchids were discovered in Manipur by separate research teams headed by an orchid breeder in the recent past. 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 Manipur’s 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. The new ginger species was known as ‘Namra’ in Manipur. 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 local delicacy ‘iromba’.
Speaking to media persons at his Sagolband Bijoygobinda residence this afternoon, Orchidologist RK Kishor, who is presently working as a Senior Research Associate of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research,New Delhi, said, ”We never think of identifying such kind of species which we consume everyday.”
“But it was interesting to identify such kind of species for the young generation,” he added. “So the exploration activities should be hastened in places like Manipur which is one of the most threatened biodiversity hot spots to prevent extinction before discoveries in the interest of masses.”
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 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.
The rose size new orchid – Dendrobium Tamenglongense having white flowers and labellaveined with orange red colour closely resembles Dendrobium Jayantianum of Meghalaya and Dendrobium Longicormu of Ukhrul (Manipur) – was discovered from the Kahulong and Longku area in Manipur’s 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 resembles I. cirrhata which occurs in Bhutan, China (Yunnan), India (Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Darjeeling) and Myanmar.
But it differs in having solitary flowers, the lip is linear-lanceolate and acute, the inner portion is purple and the midlobe is light green, entire, with side lobes fimbriate. Dendrobium Tamenglongense initiated floral buds in July and continued flowering until September.
