A rare orchid plant species Eulophia obtusa has been discovered in the Dudhwa National Park in Uttar Pradesh.
Popularly known as Ground Orchid (eulophia obtusa), the species is categorised as an ‘critically endangered’ in the IUCN red list of Endangered Species.
Never in the history of Dudhwa or any other forest area in the state, has this orchid been seen.
It was 118 years back when Kew Herbarium of England had documented the orchid. This species was last sighted in Pilibhit in 1902.
The species was originally described from Uttarakhand in the 19th century. It was collected by botanists from Gangetic plains but there have been no sightings in the past 100 years.
In 2008, the plant species was sighted in Bangladesh for the first time.
Source: Times of India