A rare, leafless orchid species that had not been seen in the Khasi Hills since the British colonial period has been rediscovered in Meghalaya after a gap of 175 years, scientists have said. The finding is being described as the oldest documented plant rediscovery in the state and has drawn both excitement and concern among researchers.
The orchid, Chamaegastrodia vaginata, was rediscovered during botanical field surveys in the Khasi Hills by researchers from the Botanical Survey of India (BSI), Eastern Regional Centre, Shillong. The study was carried out as part of the project Parasitic Angiosperms of Meghalaya and has been published in the scientific journal Vegetos.
Rediscovered after 175 years
The researchers: Yalatoor Mahesh, Rikertre Lytan and Ramalingam Kottaimuthu, found the orchid in Lawsohtun, Upper Shillong. To confirm the identification, they examined historical botanical records and compared the plant with type specimens preserved at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
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Chamaegastrodia vaginata was first collected in 1850 from Mamloo in the Khasi Hills by botanists J.D. Hooker and Thomas Thomson. Since then, it has never been recorded again in India, leading many experts to believe that the species may have disappeared from the country.
Often called a “ghost orchid”, the species is leafless and does not contain chlorophyll. Unlike most plants, it does not produce its own food through photosynthesis. Instead, it survives through mycoheterotrophy, drawing nutrients from underground fungi that feed on decaying organic matter in forest soil. Its small size and short flowering period make it easy to miss, even during repeated surveys.
Why scientists are worried
While the rediscovery confirms the orchid’s survival, researchers recorded fewer than 25 mature individuals growing in an area of less than 20 square metres. Based on this extremely small population and limited range, the species has been provisionally assessed as Critically Endangered in India.
Meghalaya is currently the only Indian state where the orchid is known to exist. The plant was found at elevations between 1,500 and 1,650 metres in damp evergreen broad-leaved forests, under trees such as Pinus kesiya, Castanopsis, Schima wallichii and Litsea.
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Scientists warned that urban expansion, habitat degradation and unregulated tourism in and around Upper Shillong pose serious threats to the species. As per reports, researchers said, “Due to the limited number of individuals in the population, this species warrants urgent conservation measures. Its future survival depends on the continued protection of its existing habitat."
Globally, Chamaegastrodia vaginata is known only from India and China, making the Khasi Hills a critical refuge for the orchid’s survival in the country.
