Orchids of Nagaland/S.C. Deorani and H.B. Naithani. 1995, 364 p., 84 plates, $52.
From the introduction: "There are about 693 species of these orchids which are distributed in North-Eastern India. As per available literature on orchid flora of the north-eastern region, 324 species have been reported from the state of Meghalaya, 55 species from Arunachal Pradesh, 453 species from Sikkim, 226 species from Mizoram and rest whose number is not exactly reported are from Manipur, Tripura and Assam. However, on account of difficult conditions and inaccessiblity, no comprehensive account of Nagaland orchids is available except few sporadic publications of articles. The authors have attemted to include and compile all the species of orchids occuring in Nagaland at one place in this book. One of the authors, Dr. S.C. Deorani, a Additional Chief Conservator of Forests, have been in Nagaland for about fifteen years and has contributed significantly towards establishment of various orchidaria presently located at Kohima and Mukokchung districts under the state forest department. Dr. S.C. Deorani had travelled extensively in Nagaland and has collected orchids from forests and has successfully cultivated them in captivity. The other author, Dr. H.B. Naithani, working in Botany Division of the Forest Research Institute Dehradun has a popular orchid book to his credit entilled "Orchid flora of north - west Himalayas". Both the authors have taken botanical expeditions, especially, with reference to identification of orchids of Nagaland. This compilation is an outcome of their efforts over a period of five years (1984-89). Botanical expeditions have also been taken by Dr. S.C. Deorani on various locations of Nagaland in the company of late Dr. A.S. Rao, Advisor Plant Resources North - Eastern Council, Shillong. An eminent authority on Indian monocots, especially, orchids. Authors have also studied the collections of Dr. N.L. Bor kept in the Herbarium of the Forest Research Institute, Dehra Dun."