Rare Ghost Orchid recorded in Himachal's Kinnaur after several decades

Shimla, Aug. 20 -- A rare and elusive Ghost Orchid (Epipogium aphyllum) has been recorded in the Rakchham-Chitkul Wildlife Sanctuary of Kinnaur district after several decades, marking a significant addition to the botanical records of Himachal Pradesh.

The orchid was documented in the Rakchham area during routine field monitoring by Block Forest Officer Santosh Thakur, Van Mitra Alpna Negi and the Sangla Wildlife team. The team photographed the plants and recorded field observations after encountering the species in its natural habitat.

Speaking about the discovery, Block Forest Officer Santosh Thakur said, "When we discovered the area, we could manage to locate only four plants of this rare Ghost Orchid." The limited number of plants obs...