Contents: Preface. Colour plates. I. Introduction: 1. Habit & habitat. 2. The morphology of orchids. 3. Basic requirements of orchid plants. 4. Economic uses of orchids. 5. Distribution of orchids in Arunachal Pradesh. II. Artificial key to the genera. III. Enumeration of orchid species. IV. Recently recorded species from Arunachal Pradesh. Selected bibliography. Glossary of the scientific terms. Index of colour plates. Colour plates. Index of illustrations. Index of botanical names.

"The book Orchid Flora of Arunachal Pradesh is an attempt to enumerate the known orchid species from Arunachal and it is hoped that it will serve as a comprehensive identification guide not only for the botanists but also for foresters, nature lovers, nursery men and amateur orchid growers. It furnishes a general introduction; distribution and different orchid habitats within Arunachal Pradesh; morphology of orchids; economic uses and tips for orchid growing, followed by a detailed analysis of nearly 545 species belonging to 125 genera of orchids known from Arunachal Pradesh. Key to genera alongwith history of the genus, derivation of its name, distribution and number of species in India and Arunachal Pradesh are given. Under each genus, the number of known species are described with keys, original citation, basionym and synonym of any, flowering and fruiting time, distribution and ecology. The text is accompanied by line drawings and colour photographs as far as possible and a glossary to the technical terms.

"Arunachal Pradesh with its unique geographical position and climate offers excellent growing conditions for orchids. As a result this state is an abode of more than 545 species of orchids, perhaps the highest number of species known from any single state of India." (jacket)

[H.J. Chowdhery is on the Scientific Staff of the Botanical Survey of India. He also wrote Material for the Flora of Arunachal Pradesh and Flora of Himachal Pradesh.]