CITIES listed orchids of Nepal: Bulbophyllum leopardinum

Taxonomy

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
Plantae	Tracheophyta	Liliopsida	Orchidales	Orchidaceae

Scientific Name:

Bulbophyllum leopardinum

Species Authority:

(Wall.) Lindl. ex Wall.

Common Name(s):

English

–

Leopard Spotted Bulbophyllum

Synonym(s):

Sarcopodium leopardinum (Wall.) Lindl. & Paxton

Assessment Information

Red List Category & Criteria:	Least Concern ver 3.1
Year Published:	2013
Date Assessed:	2011-01-06
Assessor(s):	Cockel, C.
Reviewer(s):	Rankou, H.
Justification: Few representative specimens were available for range analysis, but neither the extent of occurrence (EOO) or area of occupancy (AOO) is estimated to be below the threshold for a threatened category. There are numerous threats to plants and specifically orchids in this region such as over-collecting for medicinal use and the ongoing threats of logging, expanding human populations and conversion of habitat to agriculture. At present there is not enough data to suggest Bulbophyllum leopardinum is in decline or under immediate threat. However, contemporary collections or observations are needed to confirm the species is still extant and better data on orchid harvesting for this region is urgently needed. At present, due to the large range a rating of Least Concern is advised.

Geographic Range

Range Description:	The species occurs in Nepal (2,000-3,200 m (Rajbhandari and Bhattarai 2001)), China (S Yunnan), Myanmar, Viet Nam, Lao PDR (Phongsali), Thailand, Bhutan (Punakha, East side of Dochu Lake, between Tashi Choling and Kyebaka; and Tashingang, near Tashi Yangtsi), India (Sikkim, Lachen valley, Tendong 1,400-2,300 m (Pearce and Cribb 2002); Arunchal Pradesh, 900-1,800 m (Hegde 1984)).
Countries occurrence:	Native: Bhutan; China; India; Lao People's Democratic Republic; Myanmar; Nepal; Thailand; Viet Nam
Lower elevation limit (metres):	900
Upper elevation limit (metres):	3200
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population

Population:

In Nepal, the species is common in forest above Godawani Botanic Garden, and is seen on the north-facing forest at Daman at 2,000 m (White and Sharma 2000).

Current Population Trend:

Decreasing

Additional data:

Habitat and Ecology

Habitat and Ecology:	The leaves of this species are deep green. The flowers are pale green and spotted red, simulating the skin colour of a leopard. The species forms large colonies. The flowers have a very offensive smell and attract carrion flies. The species is said to favour partial shade of ever-green broad-leaved sub-tropical forest 1,500-2,000 m (Raskoti 2009).
Systems:	Terrestrial

Use and Trade

Use and Trade:	This species is used for compost, cattle bedding, and human and animal consumption.

Use and Trade:

This species is used for compost, cattle bedding, and human and animal consumption.

Threats

Major Threat(s):	The species is threatened by over-exploitation for ornamental plants (Raskoti 2009). Illegal and damaging collection of wild orchids for medicinal purposes is also said to be a problem in Nepal, particularly in Makwanpur district, from where they are exported to neighbouring countries for use as compost, cattle bedding and feed. The trade in orchids forms the basis of livelihoods for some people in Nepal and the increasing scarcity of the plants is a cause for concern for such people (Acharya 2009). This particular species is said to be easily cultivated on tree-fern blocks (Hegde 1984), so is likely to be attractive to collectors. The vegetation of the region is under significant threat from a combination of logging, dam-building, agriculture and human population increases (P. Cribb pers. comm. Dec. 2010). In Lao PDR, although relatively untouched botanically compared with its neighbours, orchids are collected on a 'massive scale' by the local population for sale in Thailand and Viet Nam. Some orchids, principally dried Dendrobium sp. are collected for the Chinese medicinal market. CITES enforcement is virtually non-existent in Lao PDR (Schuiteman et al. 2008).

Major Threat(s):

The species is threatened by over-exploitation for ornamental plants (Raskoti 2009). Illegal and damaging collection of wild orchids for medicinal purposes is also said to be a problem in Nepal, particularly in Makwanpur district, from where they are exported to neighbouring countries for use as compost, cattle bedding and feed. The trade in orchids forms the basis of livelihoods for some people in Nepal and the increasing scarcity of the plants is a cause for concern for such people (Acharya 2009). This particular species is said to be easily cultivated on tree-fern blocks (Hegde 1984), so is likely to be attractive to collectors. The vegetation of the region is under significant threat from a combination of logging, dam-building, agriculture and human population increases (P. Cribb pers. comm. Dec. 2010). In Lao PDR, although relatively untouched botanically compared with its neighbours, orchids are collected on a 'massive scale' by the local population for sale in Thailand and Viet Nam. Some orchids, principally dried Dendrobium sp. are collected for the Chinese medicinal market. CITES enforcement is virtually non-existent in Lao PDR (Schuiteman et al. 2008).

Conservation Actions

Conservation Actions:	One specimen was collected from within the Shivpuri National Park in Nepal, not far from the capital Kathmandu. No ex situ collections are known to have been made. Further studies on the rates of wild orchid collections in this region and the impact this has on this species is needed.

Conservation Actions:

One specimen was collected from within the Shivpuri National Park in Nepal, not far from the capital Kathmandu. No ex situ collections are known to have been made. Further studies on the rates of wild orchid collections in this region and the impact this has on this species is needed.

Citation:	Cockel, C. 2013. Bulbophyllum leopardinum. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013: e.T44392371A44532711. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T44392371A44532711.en . Downloaded on 01 November 2015.
	CITIES Category : Appendix II References 1. Ref 1 2.Ref 2

CITIES listed orchids of Nepal

Sunday, November 1, 2015