by Shaik Mahammad Khasim (Editor), Sadanand Nagesh Hegde (Editor), María Teresa González-Arnao (Editor), Kanchit Thammasiri (Editor)
This book on “Orchid Biology: Recent Trends & Challenges”
reviews the latest strategies for the preservation and conservation of
orchid diversity and orchid germplasm. It is an outcome of the
Proceedings of the International Symposium on “Biodiversity of Medicinal Plants & Orchids: Emerging Trends and Challenges”
held on 9-11 February 2018 at Acharya Nagarjuna University, India. In
addition, eminent orchid experts from around the globe were invited to
contribute to this book. All chapters were peer-reviewed by
international experts.
The Orchidaceae are one of the largest
families of flowering plants, comprising over 700 genera and 22,500
species and contributing roughly 40 percent of monocotyledons. They also
represent the second-largest flowering plant family in India, with
1,141 species in 166 genera, and contribute roughly 10% of Indian flora.
Orchids comprise a unique group of plants and their flowers are among
the most enchanting and exquisite creations of nature.
Phylogenetically
and taxonomically, the Orchidaceae are considered to be a highly
evolved family among angiosperms. They show incredible diversity in
terms of the shape, size and colour of their flowers, and are of great
commercial importance in floriculture markets around the globe. Millions
of cut flowers of Cymbidium, Dendrobium, Cattleya, Paphiopedilum, Phalaenopsis, Vanda etc.,
besides potted orchid plants, are sold in Western Countries and thus,
the orchid cut flower industry has now become a multimillion-dollar
business in Europe, the USA and South East Asia.
Besides their ornamental value, orchids hold tremendous pharmaceutical potential. Root tubers of Habenaria edgeworthii form
an important component of the ‘Astavarga’ group of drugs in Ayurvedic
medicine. It is an established fact that tubers of some terrestrial
orchids have been used to treat diarrhoea, dysentery, intestinal
disorders, cough, cold and tuberculosis. Some orchids, particularly
those belonging to the genera Aerides, Arachnis, Cattleya, Cymbidium, Dendrobium, Epidendrum, Oncidium, Paphiopedilum, Phalaenopsis, Renanthera, Vanda etc.
have been extensively used to produce internationally acclaimed
hybrids. Yet paradoxically, Indian orchids are victims of their own
beauty and popularity. As a result, their natural populations have been
declining rapidly because of unbridled commercial exploitation in India
and abroad. In fact, some orchids are now at the verge of extinction,
e.g. Renanthera imschootiana, Diplomeris hirsuta, Paphiopedilum fairrieanum, Cypripedium elegans, Taeniophylum andamanicum etc.
Given
the global importance of orchids in terms of securing human health and
wealth, this comprehensive compilation, prepared by international
experts, is highly topical. Its content is divided into five main
sections: (I) Cryopreservation & Biotechnology, (II) Orchid
Biodiversity & Conservation, (III) Anatomy & Physiology, (IV)
Pollination Biology and (V) Orchid Chemicals & Bioactive Compounds.
All contributions were written by eminent orchid experts/professors from
around the world, making the book a valuable reference guide for all
researchers, teachers, orchid enthusiasts, orchid growers and students
of biotechnology, botany, pharmaceutical sciences and ethnomedicine. It
will be equally valuable for readers from the horticultural industry,
especially the orchid industry, agricultural scientists and
policymakers.