‘Missing Orchid resurfaces’ from Dumbara mountain range

A team of Sri Lankan researchers has been able to discover from Dumbara mountain range a variety of orchid endemic to Sri Lanka. These researchers assume that the flower might have gone missing from the entire ecological system of the world about 160 years ago.

The variety of orchid belonging to the Orchidaceae family and known as Vanda thwaitesii had been identified from Sri Lanka in 1861 by Henry Henry Thwaitesii. However it had been named as Vanda thwaitesii in1898 by J.D. Hooker based on the specimens drawn by Haramanis De Alwis in Vol.4 of The Handbook to the Flora of Ceylon authored by Henry Trimen. The two specimens have been preserved in the National Archives under CP 3378.

However this variety of orchid was believed to have gone missing from Sri Lanka and from the entire world after 1861 for want of any specimen.

A renowned Botanist Bhathiya Gopallawa said that he had noticed a photo of this plant for the first time in the face book account titled “let us Identify Medicinal Plants”. This is the face book account of Pradeep Kodituwakku. Gopallawa had used these photos which were posted on face book and credited Kodituwakku as the source.

“But we were not convinced it was a photo of Vanda thwaitesii orchid variety itself. Given the passion we have for plants and nature, we took an interest in conducting research. We learnt that Kodituwakku had accidentally found this plant lying somewhere and brought it home. Later he had shared photos of the plant in face book. Back then it was about 2015 or 2016. Later we referred this plant to the Plant Research Programme of the National Botanical Gardens with the connivance of the Forest Conservation Department.  I consulted the views of Prof. Cyril Wijesundara as well and he opined that it could be Vanda thwaitesii. 

“With this in view, we informed the Red Data List not to include this plant in the EX or extinct category in 2020 and to place it under the CRPE or possibly extinct category. Fortunately in about an year, the plant bloomed and we were able to confirm its origins. The Vanda thwaitesii plant was considered to have been extinct for 160 years.  

“Now it has been added to the plant collection of the National Plant Research Programme of the Botanical Gardens,” Head of the Research Team Gopallawas explained. 

The research team comprised Prof. Deepthi Yakandawala, Dr. Ramesh Jayasinghe, Dr. Subhani Ranasinghe and Indrakeela Madola.

The research programme has been funded by Botanical Gardens Trust Fund.