Growing and Caring for Orchids

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A Ghost Orchid

The first Ghost Orchid was discovered in Cuba in 1844 by a Belgian named Jean Jules Linden. The Ghost Orchid is native to Cuba and the West Indies – in particular the Bahamas, but it is also found throughout Southern Florida in State Reserves such as the Everglades National Park, Big Cypress National Preserve and the Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve. Biologists believe seeds from ghost orchids.com">orchids and other tropical plants in South and Central America were carried across the ocean by air currents and migrating birds until they reached Florida. Within the U.S., the ghost orchid does not exist outside south Florida. Other common names include Palm Polly and White Frog Orchid.

The Ghost Orchid is an exceptional monocot, as it lacks a stem and the leaves have been reduced to scales. It consists only of flat, cord-like, green roots. The roots of the Ghost Orchid are used for moisture absorption and their chloroplasts for photosynthesis. The outer layer, the velamen, takes care of acquiring the nutrients and the water uptake. It also protects the inner layers.

This Ghost Orchid blossoms between June and August, Ghost orchid flowers are breathtakingly beautiful. Orchid flowers are divided into 6 visible sections, 3 sepals and 3 petals, however it is the third petal where most of the action takes place. It is highly modified, and unfailingly different from the remaining 2 petals, so much so that it has its own name – the labellum. In the case of the ghost orchid, the sepals and 2 petals are straight and gently tapering – about 2 inches long. The labellum however, is comparatively enormous. It branches out in a triangular shape, roughly 1 inch wide at the base, and 1 inch high. Protruding from each side of the base of the triangle are two thin, spiraling attachments. The entire flower can grow up to 5 inches long and 3 1/2 inches wide. It is a ghostly, beguiling shade of white – providing the plant with its most common name. The twisting extensions to the labellum also resemble the legs of a leaping frog – leading to another of its common names, the frog orchid. Since the roots of the Ghost Orchidd blend so well with the tree, the flower often seems to be floating in midair, hence its name of “Ghost Orchid”. The ghost orchid’s appearance is quite unusual in that it resembles a flying white frog. The stunning, stark-white blooms appear to float in the middle of the Fakahatchee Forest. When the wind blows, the frog-like orchids.com">orchids seem to come alive and dance alongside the trees.

All attempts to cultivate the ghost orchid have been unsuccessful. Aside from its rarity, the ghost orchid is unique in that it does not grow in soil, as do conventional plants. It is a species of leafless orchid that grows on trees. Exposed to the elements, the flat, green roots are no thicker than a pencil and wrap themselves around a tree.

The ghost orchid blooms just once a year, typically in June, July and August. While the orchid is in bloom, Florida’s largest moth, the giant sphinx, pollinates the flower. This moth is vital to the survival of the ghost orchid because it is believed to be thensect with a proboscis long enough to pollinate the ghost orchid. The moth’s soda-straw proboscis is a perfect fit for the flower’s four-to six-inch spur-nectary, which is located at the end of the orchid’s bottom spur.

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