New orchid tribute

Nepali scientist Bhakta Bahadur Raskoti and his team have come across a new species of orchid at Langtang National Park, according to local press.

The new orchid has been named Neottia chandrae to commemorate conservationist Chandra Gurung, who died in a helicopter crash in Taplejung in 2006.

Raskoti, who has also published a book on orchids, has photographed more than 400 orchid species in the country. Neottia chandrae is found in central Nepal, where it is threatened by overgrazing. The newly discovered terrestrial species grows in moist humus-rich slopes in Abies forest.