Tiny orchid with the name of a giant
April is the month of flowers and there is no better time to announce that a newly-discovered orchid named Pteroceras dalaputtuwa in memory of the iconic tusker, Galgamuwa Dala Puttuwa, tragically killed for its tusks, has been added to the list of flowers endemic to Sri Lanka.
The tiny Dalaputtuwa orchid is a partially opened flower about 10mm long and 5mm wide, with short, yellowish petals and an elongated rectangular-oval hollow extension called a spur. It was discovered in 2014 during a floristic survey and after periodic observations, researchers found that it flowers from late June to September.
The plant has long roots that can grow upto 14-22cm to attach themselves to tall forest trees, usually of the Dipterocarpus family ( hora trees). Dalaputtuwa is believed to be restricted to Kudawa forest reserve in Ratnapura where researchers have found only about 20 plants. This puts it on the Critically Endangered list.
Although the Dalaputtuwa orchid closely resembles an orchid native to the Philippines, Sri Lankan researchers have, after thorough analysis, established it as an orchid unique and endemic to Sri Lanka. Their study has been published in the peer- reviewed botanical journal, Phytotaxa, with the authors’ names given as Tharaka Priyadarshana, Anusha Atthanagoda, Ishara Wijewardhane, Kawshalya Siriweera, Nimantha Aberathna, and Pankaj Kumar.
Earlier in their survey, the researchers discovered another new orchid species. This flower, named Oberonia meegaskumburae or fairy orchid, which was found in the Samanala Nature Reserve, along the Kuruwita-Erathna footpath.
Describing the Dalaputtuwa discovery, the researcher said, “This could be the first time in the history of plant nomenclature that a new species has been named after an elephant”. The tusker, Galgamuwa Dala Puttuwa, was killed by poachers in 2017 for its renowned long, entwined tusks.
Lead re s e a r cher T h a r a k a Priyadarshana said he and his colleagues chose the tusker’s name for the new orchid to attract wider public and government interest in improved conservation policies to protect Sri Lanka's biodiversity.
The new orchid’s generic name, Pteroceras, is derived from the Greek “pteron” and “keras”, which mean wing and horn respectively, referring to the two narrow and wing-like appendages at the base. This is a small group of orchids comprising 21 species in several countries. In Sri Lanka so far, only one species of Pteroceras is known, but Pteroceras viridiflorum is also known mainly from drawings. As this orchid was not observed for the past 150 years, it was categorised as ‘Possibly Extinct’; however, recent floristic surveys conducted by the same researchers led to the rediscovery of Pteroceras viridiflorum.
Orchids form one of the largest flower families in Sri Lanka, with 191 known species, 58 of them endemic to the country.
They are threatened by habitat destruction and direct exploitation, with people collecting wild orchids for use as ornamental plants. Orchids are also sensitive to environmental changes such as moisture levels, so climate change and pollution also threaten their survival.