Guwahati: Hidden beneath the damp forest floor of Meghalaya’s Khasi Hills, an orchid believed to have vanished during the British colonial era has quietly survived for 175 years.
Now, the elusive Chamaegastrodia vaginata — a rare, leafless “ghost orchid” — has been rediscovered, marking the oldest documented plant rediscovery in the state and shining a spotlight on the fragile biodiversity of Northeast India.
The orchid was found during botanical field surveys in Upper Shillong by researchers Yalatoor Mahesh, Rikertre Lytan and Ramalingam Kottaimuthu of the Botanical Survey of India (BSI), Eastern Regional Centre, Shillong. The discovery emerged from a project on parasitic flowering plants in Meghalaya and has been formally reported in the scientific journal Vegetos.
Last collected in 1850 from Mamloo in the Khasi Hills by legendary botanists J.D. Hooker and Thomas Thomson, the species had not been recorded in India for more than a century and a half. Its long absence led scientists to suspect it may have disappeared from the region altogether.
The newly located population was found in Lawsohtun, Upper Shillong. Researchers confirmed its identity through meticulous comparison with historical descriptions and type specimens housed at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew — closing a botanical chapter left open since the 19th century.
Often called a “ghost orchid”, Chamaegastrodia vaginata is unlike most plants. It has no leaves and lacks chlorophyll, making it incapable of photosynthesis. Instead, it survives through a rare strategy known as mycoheterotrophy, drawing nutrients from underground fungi linked to decaying organic matter.
This unusual lifestyle also makes the orchid extremely vulnerable. It depends on undisturbed forest soils and stable microhabitats, and its small stature and brief flowering period mean it can easily escape notice during routine surveys.
The rediscovery, while remarkable, comes with sobering conservation concerns. Fewer than 25 mature individuals were recorded, all confined to an area of less than 20 square metres. Based on its tiny population and restricted range, the species has been provisionally assessed as Critically Endangered in India.
At present, Meghalaya is the only Indian state where the orchid is known to survive, placing a significant conservation responsibility on the region.
The orchid was found at elevations between 1,500 and 1,650 metres in moist, disturbed evergreen broad-leaved forests, growing under trees such as Pinus kesiya, Castanopsis, Schima wallichii and Litsea species — forest types that also occur in parts of neighbouring Assam.
Researchers warn that urban expansion, habitat degradation and unregulated tourism around Upper Shillong pose immediate threats to this fragile population. Even minor disturbances to soil structure or the forest canopy could be enough to wipe it out locally.
Globally, Chamaegastrodia vaginata is known only from India and China, making the eastern Himalaya–Indo-Burma region a critical refuge for the species.
“Given the extremely limited number of individuals, this species requires urgent conservation attention. Its survival depends entirely on the protection of its remaining habitat,” the researchers said.
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