Rediscovery and Distribution update of Robiquetia rosea (Lindl.) Seidenf. (Orchidaceae) from the Western Ghats, India, after Five Decades

Robiquetia rosea (Lindl.) Seidenf. is an epiphytic orchid species belonging to the family Orchidaceae, tribe Vandeae, subtribe Aeridinae. The species was originally described by John Lindley as Saccolabium roseum and later transferred to the genus Robiquetia by Seidenfaden. It is distributed across tropical Asia, with scattered records from regions including the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and India (Seidenfaden, 1988; POWO, 2025). In India, the species has been documented from the Western Ghats and northeastern states, though confirmed reports have remained sparse over the past several decades (Abraham & Vatsala, 1981; Joseph, 1982). 

The Western Ghats, one of the world's eight most significant biodiversity hotspots, harbors exceptional orchid diversity with high levels of endemism (Myers et al., 2000). However, habitat alteration, deforestation, and changing climatic patterns have increasingly threatened epiphytic orchid populations across this region. Historical herbarium records and floristic accounts indicate that Robiquetia rosea had not been reliably documented from the Western Ghats for nearly five decades, with the last known occurrences dating to approximately 1972. The present study reports the rediscovery of this species from Kerala, providing updated distribution information and contributing to the conservation knowledge of this rare orchid.