Shwe in our language, or Gold,
is the name Myanmars used as a pseudonym for identifying each other outside of
our country. Myanmar refers to
people, language, as well as the land. The common feature of all ghost
orchids—American, European, Asian, or Shwe—is that they don't normally have
leaves. While the American and Asian ghost orchids grow on trees, the European
ghost orchid grows on the ground.
I didn't know that there are
orchids called ghost orchids when I discovered this leafless orchid near
Pinlebu Town in Upper Myanmar.
Unlike most of my drawings, I had
not signed and dated this one. It must be in the period 1972-1977 because I was
working in the Shwebo District that time. I'm not sure if the flowers were
recorded when I cut the branch up, or when the orchid flowered at home later.
My description reads:
Spls oblong, tip blunt, petals wider,
lemon yellow, lip boat shaped, fls 1
cm across,
rachis fleshy, bracts minute, rachis
pubescent green in color,
I've forgotten about this drawing
and this orchid for a long time, until 2004 November when I chanced to find out
about the American Ghost Orchid and then the Asian ghost orchids. From this
picture of Chiloschista unoides, an Asian ghost orchid, I came to know that my
ghost orchid must be a Chiloschista:
I noted that while my description
of my flower fits well with that, the color is different and mine is rather
dull colored. Too bad, I didn't own a camera that time. As for identification I
used to have a 1966 reprint by Central Press, Rangoon of the "The Orchids
of Burma" compiled by Captain Bartle Grant, Adjutant, Rangoon Volunteer
Rifles, printed in 1895. I remember buying the book at Sarpay-beikman book
stall in Yangon at a price of 12 kyats. I couldn't have looked for my orchid in
this book when I made the drawing because I didn't know the scientific name
then. Later in Shwebo the book was eaten away by white ants and I got my
current photo-copied reprint version from the Bagan Book House in 1999 March at
a price of 2000 kyats. Now that I know this orchid to be a Chilolschista I
looked for it in the book, but couldn't find the genus listed there. My other
standard reference A Checklist of the Trees,
Shrubs, Herbs, and Climbers of Myanmar gives two species found in
Myanmar:
This picture of C. lunifera looks more like my orchid,
though the flowers are spaced more closely on the stalk and more numerous:
The following original drawing of C. lunifera is from Annals
of the Royal Botanic Garden, Calcutta, vol. 83: t. 276 (1891).
Internet search shows that C. lunifera could have variable
coloring, for example, dark red, as well as lack of markings or with variable
markings on the flower. So my orchid might be C. lunifera, but I am not sure.
There might also be other Chiloschista species in Myanmar not yet recorded.
Chiloschistas or other little known botanical gems are gifts
of nature to us. They are little known and cared because they are inconspicuous
and their flowers are not showy nor they are being sought for medicinal
properties. Because of that they may safely remain our ghost orchids and for Asia
for a long time. However, locally popular orchid species and those known as
good stocks for hybridization have been plundered for long. In more recent
times we've heard of lifting truck loads of orchid plants to be illegally destined
to "Big Country" for herbal medicinal uses.
Well, that will surely boost our list of real ghost
orchids in addition to the couple of humble
Chiloschistas we have for now!
