''Rhynchostylis cymifera'' is a species of

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Eart ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. The specific epithet "cymifera", meaning "cyme bearing", refers to the pendent, basipetal, cymose inflorescences, which are very atypical for the genus and separates this species from others. Its morphology is very similar to '' Rhynchostylis retusa''. Flowering occurs from May to June.

Conservation

This species is rarely recorded (nine times to date) and is regarded as critically endangered. However an assessment by the IUCN has still not been made. Anthropogenic

habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

and wildfires pose a risk to the species.

References

cymifera Flora of India (region) Plants described in 2018 {{Vandeae-stub