The information provided on this website is taken from the book published by Botanical Survey of India (BSI), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Government of India as outcome of my project/ Ph.D. work (under 'Flora of India' scheme). I express my sincere thanks to the MoEF&CC for financial support under the ‘Flora of India’ scheme of BSI. I express my deepest gratitude and regards to Dr. H.J. Chowdhery, former Addl. Director, Botanical Survey of India (BSI) for his guidance, encouragement and invaluable suggestions given throughout my study on the subtribe under 'Flora of India' scheme of BSI. I am highly grateful to Dr. M. Sanjappa and Dr. Paramjit Singh, former Directors of BSI, Er. A.K. Pathak, former Director-in-charge, BSI, Dr. A.A. Mao, Director, BSI, Dr. M.S. Mondal, late Dr. P. Lakshminarasimhan, Dr. P.V. Prasanna, former Heads of the Central National Herbarium (CNH), Dr. V.P. Prasad, former Head of CNH and Dr. R.K. Gupta, Head of CNH for providing facilities.
I am highly thankful to Dr. C. Sathish Kumar, former Scientist of Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanical Garden and Research Institute (JNTBGRI), Thiruvananthapuram, Dr. S. Phukan, former Scientist, BSI, and Dr. S.Z. Lucksom, former Director, Himalayan Zoological Park, Forest Environment & Wildlife Management Department, Gangtok for providing some specimens, literature and valuable suggestions during this study. I am also thankful to Dr. A.N. Rao, former Orchidologist & Head of the Orchidology Division, State Forest Research Institute (SFRI), Itanagar, Dr. Sarat Misra, Orchidologist and Mr. U. C. Pradhan, Orchidologist for their helpful suggestions. I extend my deepest regards to Paul Ormerod, Orchidologist, Australia, Prof. L. Averyanov, Komarov Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Science, St. Petersburg, Prof. H.A. Pedersen, Botanical Museum, Copenhagen, Denmark, Dr. J. McNeill, Director Emeritus, Royal Ontario Museum & Honorary Associate, Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, Dr. K.N. Gandhi, Senior Nomenclatural Registrar, Harvard University Herbarium for their help and suggestions to solve some critical taxonomic problems in the present work.
I am grateful to Dr. T.K. Paul, Dr. S. Bandyopadhyay, former scientists of CNH and my senior researchers Dr. D.K. Agrawala and Dr. C.M. Sabapathy for their help and suggestions throughout my study. I am grateful to late Dr. M.K. Pathak of BSI for inspiring me during my Ph.D. work. I am thankful to my researcher friends, namely Dr. S. Daschoudhury, Mr. G.K. Upadhyay, Dr. R.K. Chowdhury, Dr. L. Rasingam, Dr. S. Punekar, Dr. R. Manikandan, Dr. S. Chaudhury for their help and moral support throughout this study. I am also grateful to my seniors Dr. Pankaj Kumar, Kadoorie Farm & Botanic Garden Corporation, Hong Kong and Dr. J.S. Jalal, BSI for sending few specimens and photographs. I am thankful to the Heads and Curators of different Indian herbaria like ARUN, ARI, ASSAM, BLAT, BSA, BSD, BSHC, BSI, CALI, DD, KFRI, LWG, MH, OHT, PBL and TBGT for permitting me to study the materials in their holding and providing library facility. The Directors, Curators and staff of various foreign herbaria, specially Dr. Renata Borosova of K, Dr. Olof Ryding of C, Dr. Gina Murrell of CGE, Dr. Akiko Shimizu of TI, Dr. John Hunnex of BM, Dr. Gerard Thijsse of L and Dr. Jin Xiaohua of PE are thankfully acknowledged for providing the images of some specimens and photocopy of few important literature.
I extend my sincere thanks to the Scientist-in-charges of various regional centres of Botanical Survey of India for providing facilities, hospitality, in arranging field tours and for herbarium and library facilities during study. I am thankful to Dr. S.S. Dash, Scientist E & Publication-in-charge and other senior officers of BSI Headquarters for taking necessary efforts to publish my book. I am thankful to Prof. M. Sabu, former Professor in the Department of Botany, Calicut University for his help during my visit to Calicut. I also express my sincere thanks to the staff of CNH, Howrah and BSI Head-Quarters, Kolkata for their support throughout my study. I am also thankful to the Chief Conservator of Forests, Divisional Forest Officers and other staff of different State Forest departments of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Kerala, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand and West Bengal for providing permission and help during my field tours.
I am thankful to my seniors and friends (Dr. D.K. Agrawala, Dr. C.M. Sabapathy, late Dr. M.K. Pathak, Dr. Ramesh Kumar, Dr. Pankaj Kumar, Dr. J.S. Jalal, Dr. Anant Kumar, Dr. Prasad Kothareddy, Dr. Vikash Kumar, Dr. Santanu Dey, Dr. Mayur Nandikar, Dr. S. Punekar, Dr. Devendra K. Singh, Dr. M. Bhaumik, Dr. K. Chowlu, Dr. Khyanjit Gogoi, Dr. Manudev K.M.) who kindly provided me some photographs with permission to publish in my book.
I am thankful to Mr. D.K. Shah, Artist, BSI for illustrating many line-drawings for my book and Mr. T. Chakrabortty (ENVIS, BSI) for helping in typesetting. I am thankful to Mr. Karma T. Pempahishey and Mr. Norden of Holumba Nursery, Kalimpong and Mr. Pawan Pradhan of Nursery International, Kalimpong for their help during the present work. I am grateful to my teacher, Prof. Ambarish Mukherjee, retired Professor in Botany, The University of Burdwan for motivations. I express my immense sense of gratitude to my teacher ‘Sudip Kaku’ for teaching me more than twelve years, from the very first day of my school and my biology teachers Mr. P.artha Chakravorty (S. E. Railway Girls’ High School, Adra), Mrs. Sumita Mukherjee (S. E. Railway Boys’ High School, Adra) for inspirations and encouragements.
I am out of words to express my indebtedness to my late father (Daddy), late father-in-law (Baba), late grandfather (Ubhai), my mother, mother-in-law, grandmother ‘Magodida’, my adored brother ‘Happy’, ‘Mejo Jethu’, ‘Sejo Jethu’, ‘Jethu’, ‘Jethi’ and all of my family members, specially my wife Bandana for co-operating me all through the thick and thin during the present study. Without them it would not have been possible to complete this work.
AVISHEK BHATTACHARJEE