A NEW DISTRIBUTION RECORD FOR ERIA EXILIS HOOK. F. (ORCHIDACEAE) IN SOUTHERN INDIA

The present paper deals botanical description and new distributional record for an epiphytic Orchid species Eria exilis Hook.f. So far, this species has been recorded in Western Ghats of Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. This is the first report to occur the Eria exilis in Eastern Ghats of Tamil Nadu. The paper is provided photographs, habitat ecology, phenology and distributional ranges to this tiny endemic Orchid species for facilitating the identification and conservation measures.