Aerides maculosa Lindl. (Orchidaceae): Taxonomic and Ecological Insights from Southern Plateau Region of Chhattisgarh, India

Abstract

A floristic exploration conducted during 2024-2025, 2025-2026 in the Bastar plateau region of Chhattisgarh documented the occurrence of Aerides maculosa Lindl. (Orchidaceae) in Patraguda village, Farasgaon block, Kondagaon District, Chhattisgarh, India. The species was observed as an epiphytic orchid growing on mature trees in tropical moist deciduous forest habitat at an elevation of about 649 m. The plant was identified on the its pendulous epiphytic habit, thick silvery-white aerial roots, distichous leathery leaves with an unequally bilobed apex, pendulous racemose inflorescence, fragrant white flowers with purplish-pink spots, trilobed labellum, curved spur and typical orchid pollinia. The species was associated with moist deciduous forest vegetation dominated by Shorea robusta, Terminalia arjuna, Syzygium cumini, Tectona grandis and Madhuca longifolia. Other epiphytic orchids observed in the habitat included Vanda tessellata, Rhynchostylis retusa and Dendrobium ovatum, indicating the presence of a suitable microhabitat for epiphytic orchid diversity. Previous records of A. maculosa are mainly from the Western Ghats, Eastern Ghats and parts of Northeast India, and the present finding extends its known distribution to the Bastar plateau of Chhattisgarh. The record highlights the floristic importance of the Kondagaon region and suggests that orchid diversity in Chhattisgarh remains insufficiently explored, particularly in forest canopy habitats. Conservation attention is required because epiphytic orchids depend on suitable host trees, humidity and intact forest microhabitats. Continued surveys, voucher-based documentation and habitat protection are recommended to improve understanding of orchid diversity in the region.