Abundance, Distribution and Association of Paphiopedilum fairrieanum (Lindl.) Stein with Site Factors in Brongshing, Samdrup Jongkhar District

Abstract

The long-lived and attractive flower of Paphiopedilum fairrieanum (Lindl.) Stein has made it one of the most commercialized flowers in the world, and its distribution is restricted to small areas. Thus, it was listed as a critically endangered orchid species by the IUCN in 2015. Therefore, the aim of this study was to generate information on the abundance and distribution of Paphiopedilum fairrieanum and assess the relationship between the abundance and distribution of Paphiopedilum fairrieanum with site factors in the study area. A systematic sampling method was followed for the data collection, with a 200 m distance between the plots. A total of 34 sample plots with 5.64 m radii were established. In total, 1004 individuals of orchid species were recorded. The abundance and distribution of the Paphiopedilum fairrieanum showed statistically significant associations with the elevation (r = −0.350, p = 0.042), slope (r = 0.666, p = 0.000), precipitation (r = −0.630, p = 0.000) and temperature (r = 0.371, p = 0.031). A southeast aspect was found to have the highest number of Paphiopedilum fairrieanum, and a northwest aspect had the least. The findings of this study would help researchers to find suitable sites and the distribution of Paphiopedilum fairrieanum in unexplored areas.