An account of family Orchidaceae in a part of Northern Western Ghats India

Abstract

The Western Ghats of India is known across the world as a biodiversity hotspot due to its rich plant and animal diversity. Orchids are most abundant in this humid tropical and subtropical region. India has 1331 orchid species distributed over 186 genera, of which 400 are endemic. Many orchid species have been reported from Mulshi (alt. 600–1,131 m a.s.l.) which falls in the Northern Western Ghats of Maharashtra. Recently, Jalal & Jayanthi (2018, 2019) recorded 32 genera and 107 species of orchids from the northern Western Ghats. The vegetation is diverse from moist to dry deciduous forests with some semi evergreen elements and open grasslands.