Dr. Avishek Bhattacharjee​​​​​​​​​​​

IMPORANT CONTRIBUTIONS:

I. New taxa described: 8

1. Amitostigma pathakianum Av. Bhattacharjee

2. Asystasia indica H.J. Chowdhery & Av. Bhattacharjee

3. Asystasia venui Anant Kumar, G. Krishna & Av. Bhattacharjee

4. Gastrochilus pseudocalceolaris S. Dey, L. Phom, Av. Bhattacharjee, Moaakum & K. Eshuo

5. Rhomboda monensis Odyuo, D.K Roy, Av. Bhattacharjee & Ormerod

6. Strobocalyx mastersii B. Bhattacharjee, Lakshmin., S.K. Mukherjee & Av. Bhattacharjee

7. Zeuxine chowdheryi Av. Bhattacharjee & C.M. Sabap. 

8. Zeuxine pantlingii Av. Bhattacharjee & H.J. Chowdhery  

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II. New combinations: 5

1. Odontochilus tetrapterus (Hook. f.) Av. Bhattacharjee & H.J. Chowdhery

2. Goodyera alveolata Pradhan var. medogensis (H.Z. Tian, Y.H. Tong & B.M. Wang) Av. Bhattacharjee, Tsering, Layola, Farheen Banu & Anant Kumar

3. Goodyera schlechtendaliana Rchb. f. var. robusta (Hook. f.) Av. Bhattacharjee & H.J. Chowdhery

4. Rhomboda pulchra (King & Pantl.) Ormerod & Av. Bhattacharjee

5. Tainia megalantha (Tang & F.T. Wang) R.C. Srivastava & Av. Bhattacharjee

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III. New distributional records for India: 11

1. Anoectochilus medogensis H.Z. Tian & Y. Jin

2. Bulbophyllum medioximum J.J.Verm., Schuit. & de Vogel

3. Calanthe hancockii R. Br.

4. Calanthe lemellosa Rolfe

5. Eria merguensis Lindl.

6. Gastrochilus yei J.W. Li & X.H. Jin

7. Goodyera alveolata Pradhan

8. Leonotis nepetifolia (L.) R. Br. var. africana (P. Beauv.) J.K. Morton [also a new record for Asia]

9. Zeuxine agyokuana Fukuy.

10. Zeuxine  grandis Seidenf.

11. Zeuxine parvifolia (Ridl.) K. Schum. & Fedde

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IV. New distributional records for China: 1

   1. Gastrochilus sessanicus A.N. Rao

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V. Taxa excluded from India: 5

1. Anoectochilus papillosus Aver.

2. Anoectochilus regalis Blume

3. Anoectochilus setaceus Blume

4. Gastrochilus changjiangensis Q. Liu & M.Z. Huang

5. Rhomboda abbreviata (Lindl.) Ormerod

VI. Taxa synonymised: 21

1. Cheirostylis chinensis Rolfe var. glabra M. Bhaumik & M.K. Pathak

2. Cheirostylis seidenfadeniana C.S. Kumar & F.N. Rasm.

3. Erythrodes seshagiriana A.N. Rao

4. Gastrochilus jeitouensis Ormerod

5. Gastrochilus carnosus Z.H. Tsi

6. Gastrochilus corymbosus A.P. Das & S. Chanda

7. Gastrochilus garhwalensis Z.H. Tsi

8. Gastrochilus minimus J.W. Li, D.P. Ye & X.H. Jin 

9. Gastrochilus nepalensis Raskoti

10. Goodyera dongchenii Lucksom

11. Goodyera dongchenii var. gongligongensis X. H. Jin & S. C. Chen

12. Phalaenopsis arunachalensis K. Gogoi & K. Rinya

13. Vernonia pothigaiana Chellad. & Gopalan

14. Vernonia shevaroyensis Gamble

15. Vernonia subsessilis DC. var. macrophylla Hook. f.

16. Zeuxine assamica I. Barua & K. Barua

17. Zeuxine bidupensis Aver.

18. Zeuxine dhanikariana Maina, Lalitha & Sreek.

19. Zeuxine hainanensis H. Xu, H. J. Yang & Y. D. Li

20. Zeuxine pantlingii Av. Bhattacharjee & H.J. Chowdhery

21. Zeuxine seidenfadenii Deva & H.B. Naithani

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VII. Taxa reinstated/ excluded from synonymy: 4

1. Anoectochilus regalis Blume

2. Anoectochilus roxburghii (Wall.) Lindl.

3. Gastrochilus fuscopunctatus (Hayata) Hayata

4. Vrydagzynea viridiflora Hook.f.

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VIII. Typification of names: 31

1. Anoectochilus grandiflorus Lindl. [= Odontochilus grandiflorus (Lindl.) Benth. ex Hook.f.]

2. Calanthe alpina Hook. f. ex Lindl.

3. Calanthe biloba Lindl.

4. Calanthe lemellosa Rolfe

5. Calanthe trulliformis King & Pantl.

6. Calanthe whiteana King & Pantl.

7. Calanthe yunnanensis Rolfe [= Calanthe lemellosa Rolfe]

8. Cirrhopetalum nodosum Rolfe [= Bulbophyllum nodosum (Rolfe) J.J. Sm.]

9. Chrysobaphus roxburghii Wall. [= Anoectochilus roxburghii (Wall.) Lindl.]

10. Championia multiflora Clarke [= Leptoboea multiflora (Clarke) Benth. ex Gamble]

11. Gastrochilus affinis King & Pantl.

12. Geodorum laxiflorum Griff.

13. Goodyera affinis Griff. [= Hetaeria affinis (Griff.) Seidenf. & Ormerod]

14. Goodyera hemsleyana King & Pantl.

15. Goodyera hirsuta Griff. [= Erythrodes hirsuta (Griff.) Ormerod]

16. Goodyera macrantha Maxim. ex Regel [= Goodyera biflora (Lindl.) Hook. f.]

17. Habenaria dyeriana King & Pantl. [= Platanthera dyeriana (King & Pantl.) Kraenzl.]

18. Herminium gracile King & Pantl. [= Androcorys gracilis (King & Pantl.) Schltr.]

19. Herpysma longicaulis Lindl.

20. Hetaeria albida Blume [= Vrydagzynea albida (Blume) Blume]

21. Hetaeria fusca Lindl. [= Goodyera fusca (Lindl.) Hook. f.]

22. Neottia viridiflora Blume [= Goodyera viridiflora (Blume) Lindl. ex D. Dietr.]

23. Odontochilus tortus King & Pantl.

24. Psychechilos gracile Breda [= Zeuxine gracilis (Breda) Blume]

25. Saccolabium pseudodistichum King & Pantl. [= Gastrochilus pseudodistichus (King & Pantl.) Schltr.]

26. Vernonia fysonii Calder

27. Vernonia shevaroyensis Gamble [= Vernonia vivekanathanii Uniyal]

28. Zeuxine agyokuana Fukuy.

29. Zeuxine pulchra King & Pantl.

30. Zeuxine reflexa King & Pantl.

31. Zeuxine rolfiana King & Pantl.

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IX. Rediscovery: 3

1. Goodyera alveolata Pradhan [after 49 years]

2. Sonerila squarrosa Wall. [after 110 years]

3. Zeuxine rolfiana King & pantl. [after 121 years]

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X. Proposals to amend the Code (ICN) -  Included in the main volume of Code: 3

Three proposals to amend the ‘Code’ have been included in ‘Shenzhen Code’ which are as follows.

1. Art. 40A.6: Citation of the herbarium, collection, or institution of deposition should use one of the standards mentioned in Art. 40 Note 4 or, when those standards give no abbreviated form, should be given in full with the location.

2. Art. 9B.2: Authors designating an epitype should state in what way the holotype, lectotype, neotype, or all original material is ambiguous such that epitypification is necessary.

3.  Art. 7.11, Ex. 14: The absence of any original material (Art. 9.13) for Ocimum gratissimum L. (Sp. Pl.: 1197. 1753) means that Cramer’s (in Dassanayake & Fosberg, Revis. Handb. Fl. Ceylon 3: 112. 1981) citation of “Type: Hortu Upsalensi, 749.2 (LINN)” as “type” is to be accepted as designation (Art. 7.11) of a neotype, antedating the superfluous neotypification by Paton (in Kew Bull. 47: 411. 1992).

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XI. Proposals (published) to amend the Code (ICN): 23

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XII. IUCN Red Listing (published on IUCN website): 4

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As Assessor: 1

       Zeuxine rolfiana King & Pantl.

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As Contributor: 3

1. Dalbergia sissoides Wight & Arn.

2. Dalbergia tinnevelliensis Thoth.

3. Dalbergia wattii C.B. Clarke

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XIII. Other contributions:

i) Represented the country in the CITES ‘International Expert Workshop on Non-Detriment Findings (NDFs)’ held in United Nations Complex, UN Avenue in Nairobi, Kenya from 4 to 8 December, 2023 as a member of ‘Indian Delegation’; actively contributed to the Working Group 10  (NDFs of Plants; Module 11) as a WG member to develop/improve the NDF guidance.

ii) Represented the country in the 18th Meeting of the Conference of Parties (CoP18) to the CITES held in Geneva, Switzerland in August 2019 as a member of ‘Indian Delegation’; advocated in favour of delisting of Dalbergia sissoo from Appendix II of CITES/ amendment of Annotation #15 of CITES with respect to Dalbergia spp. and some Guibourtia spp. Participated in ‘Working Group’ to develop further revisions of Annotation #15. Due to this amendment, finished products to a maximum weight of wood of the listed species (including D. sissoo) of up to 10 kg per shipment (from 500 gm per item), and finished musical instruments, finished musical instrument parts, and finished musical instrument accessories were allowed to export without CITES control. Successfully prevented inclusion of the entire genus Cedrela under CITES Appendix II; rather, CITES control was allowed by amendment and by adding Annotation #6 to restrict the trade to non-plantation species and only neotropics range species. 

iii) As per instruction of MoEF&CC (WL), a proposal for delisting of Dalbergia sissoo from CITES Appendix II was which was accepted by Govt. of India and submitted (co-proponent: Nepal) to CITES for CITES CoP 19 (Panama City, USA). 

iv) As per instruction of MoEF&CC (WL), a proposal for delisting of Dalbergia sissoo from CITES Appendix II was prepared which was accepted by Govt. of India and submitted (co-proponents: Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka) to CITES for CITES CoP 18 (Geneva, Switzerland). 

v) Three proposals to amend the main volume of the ‘International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (ICN)’ have been included in the ‘Shenzhen Code’.

vi) Among the 19 taxa listed under the Schedule III of ‘THE WILD LIFE (PROTECTION) AMENDMENT ACT, 2022’ of Govt. of India, 7 species [Aenhenrya rotundifolia (Blatt.) C.S. Kumar & F.N. Rasm., Odontochilus grandiflorus (Lindl.) Benth. ex Hook. f., Odontochilus tetrapterus (Hook. f.) Av. Bhattacharjee & H.J. Chowdhery, Podophyllum hexandrum Royle, Rhomboda pulchra (King & Pantl.) Ormerod & Av. Bhattacharjee, Vrydagzynea viridiflora Hook. f., Zeuxine andamanica King & Pantl.] were included based on my proposal through the Botanical Survey of India.