3.
Dr. Naresh Swami is currently in the higher ranges of Arunachal
Pradesh, working from its western border with Bhutan, to its
eastern border with Myanmar, shuttling hundreds of kilometers
every day. He is concentrating on places 12000 ft. above MSL,
as this is the flowering time at those altitudes. Here is a short
description of some of his works from the region of eastern
Himalayas:
1. Corybas himalaicus (King & Pantling) Schltr. - The only petal-
less orchid from the region. The species was originally discovered
more than a century ago by the collectors of King and Pantling.
In their monumental book, the authors mentioned about a “moist
vertical rock” in Lam-teg in the Lachen valley of Sikkim, from
where the species was found. I was able to locate the same moist
vertical rock and the species thriving on it in the year 2012. The
only currently available photographic evidence of the species is
from my work. Nikon D4S 105mm F/2.8 1/15s ISO125 .
2. Calanthe whiteana King & Pantling - This species was first
located in Choongthang (North Sikkim) during the work of King
and Pantling more than a century ago. I was able to relocate the
species from the same region during my work (2011-2014). Later
on, I discovered the species from the state of Arunachal Pradesh
thus, establishing an extended habitat of the species. The only
currently available photographic evidence of the species is from
my work. Nikon D3 105mm F/57 1/60s ISO200
3. Cryptochilus sanguineus Wall. - A rare plant with astonishingly
beautiful flowers. Nikon D4S 105mm F/36 1/60s ISO100
4. Dendrobium falconeri Hook. - I rank this species as the most
beautiful orchid and it is my favorite one. Nikon D4S 105mm F/20 1/60s ISO200
4.