Distribution pattern, conservation status, and traditional therapeutic uses of orchids with particular reference to Solan district, Himachal Pradesh, India

Abstract

vicinity (Valle del Cauca, Colombia). Field and herbarium work were carried out, and material from each species found was collected and documented with pictures and field notes; several specimens from VALLE and CUVC herbaria were also studied. As a main result, 121 species of 53 genera were reported, 10 of which are new species and 2 unrecorded species for the Colombian flora. New species and records are represented as following for these genera: Campylocentrum Benth. (1 new species) Epidendrum L. (5 new species), Lepanthes Sw. (3 new species and a new record), Stelis Sw. (1 new species), and Telipogon Kunth (1 new record). Many educational workshops were conducted with several community members in order to communicate to them the importance of orchid diversity and conservation of cloud forest. Cloud forests of Dapa vicinity are highly diverse and host an important number of Colombian endemic orchid species, although they were disturbed in the last 30 years by the surrounding community that selectively extracted timber trees and orchids. Primary conservation strategies concerning protection of wild orchid populations and their habitats should be formulated and executed in concert with local community and environmental authorities in order to stop the habitat loss of wild orchid populations.