Species Use Database

Panchaunle
Dactylorhiza hatagirea

Used for Medicine and hygiene in Nepal

A. Species

Scientific name: Dactylorhiza hatagirea

Common name(s): Panchaunle

Global IUCN Red List Threat Status:


B. Location of use

Geographic location(s):

  • Nepal

Country/Region:


C. Scale of assessment

Scale of assessment: Individual Site

Name/Details of location: Lolu-Pilkanda and Api Nampa Conservation Area (ANCA) in Darchula District, and Bhimthang in Manang District


D. Timescale of use

Start Year: 2015

End Year: 2017


E. Information about the use

How is the wild species sourced?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat

Type of use: Extractive

Practice of use: Gathering/Cutting/Collecting terrestrial plants and fungi or their products from the wild

Lethal or non-lethal: Lethal

Does this use involve take/extraction of: Only parts or products of the organism

Purpose(s) of end use: Medicine and hygiene

Motivation of use: Basic subsistence and Income generation from trade (individual/household/community)

Is this use legal or illegal?: Some use is legal and some is illegal


F. Information about the Users

Which stakeholder(s) does the record primarily focus on?: Local people


G. Information about the sustainability of use

Is there evidence that the use is having an impact on the target species?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an ecological perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered unsustainable

Details of assessment carried out: Published scientific literature

Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Harvesting is having a negative impact on multiple populations of D. hatagirea within unprotected sites in Nepal. The author's state that coupled with other prevalent disturbances, the intensive and destructive harvesting may lead to local extinction of the species. However, at protected sites in Nepal sustainable populations are maintained.

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an economic perspective been recorded?: not recorded

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a social perspective been recorded?: not recorded

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a human health perspective been recorded?: not recorded

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an animal health/welfare perspective been recorded?: not recorded


Recommendations provided in the record to maintain or enhance the sustainability of the use of the target species

The study indicates the need for permanent monitoring of the species as the sustainability of D. hatagirea largely depends on controlling illegal and premature harvesting.


Record source

Information about the record source: scientific_pub

Date of publication/issue/production: 2021-01-01T00:00:00+0000

Source Reference(s):

Chapagain, D.J., Meilby, H., Baniya, C.B., Budha‐Magar, S. and Ghimire, S.K., 2021. Illegal harvesting and livestock grazing threaten the endangered orchid Dactylorhiza hatagirea (D. Don) Soó in Nepalese Himalaya. Ecology and evolution, 11(11), pp.6672-6687.

Date of record entry: 2025-07-02