Orchid diversity in two community forests of Makawanpur District, central Nepal

Abstract

Orchidaceae is one of the largest and most diverse families of flowering plants, comprising more than 450 species that span 107 genera in Nepal. Since orchids are facing an extinction risk from various anthropogenic factors at the regional and global level, we attempted to explore the diversity of orchid in two community managed forests – Karunabhumi Community Forest at Daman & Chandragiri Community Forest at Chitlang of Makawanpur District in central Nepal. We compiled a list of 58 species of orchids belonging to 23 genera, including 47 epiphytic and 11 terrestrial species, of which 29 species have medicinal value. Our result also revealed that epiphytic orchids are associated with particular host communities.

Keywords

• community forests
• epiphyte
• host association
• medicinal value
• orchidaceae
• threats