Dendrophylax lindenii

There are a number of crops on this planet that seize the creativeness, encourage intense followings, characteristic prominently in artwork, and have books written about them.

Ghost orchids are a few of these varieties of crops.

The ghost orchid (Dendrophylax lindenii) was the main target of Susan Orlean’s best-selling guide “The Orchid Thief” and the film adaptation that starred Meryl Streep.

Fans obsessively watch and observe these crops with distant cameras, eagerly anticipating their bloom cycles.

These are crops that encourage, shock, and delight anybody who will get to know them.

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I’m not going to lie, this isn’t a plant for the newbie and even intermediate grower.

Attempting to domesticate ghost orchids is certainly a complicated challenge and even skilled orchidists battle.

On this information we’ll focus on some rising ideas, however we’ll focus totally on studying extra about these distinctive crops and the place you may see these endangered species of their pure habitat.

Right here’s the lineup:

What Are Ghost Orchids?

Dendrophylax lindenii (previously labeled as ​​Aeranthes lindenii, Polyradicion lindenii, and Polyrrhiza lindenii), the notorious ghost orchids, are extraordinarily uncommon crops.

As with many different orchids, they’re epiphytes, which suggests they develop hooked up to different crops, often timber.

They aren’t parasites they usually don’t draw vitamins from the plant they dwell on, they simply use it as a help base.

A part of the Epidendroideae subfamily of orchids, D. lindenii have skinny, slim stems, and their leaves hardly appear to exist in any respect. What’s left is a stupendous white orchid flower that appears to drift across the trunks of timber in tropical climates.

The flower is very aromatic, with a fruity, apple-like scent. Every bloom has an higher dorsal sepal, two facet petals, two decrease sepals, and a labellum on the base.

It’s the labellum that makes these crops so distinctive. They’re comprised of two lengthy tendrils that twist and twirl. Generally, they appear like the legs of a leaping frog.

The flowers are pretty petite, at as much as one and a half inches large and three and a half inches lengthy.

That comes as a shock to folks once they see this plant for the primary time, since in photographs they have a tendency to look a bit greater than they really are.

The plant technically has leaves, however they’re small, scale-like growths which are hardly even noticeable except you get proper up shut.

When not in bloom, the plant seems like a mass of greenish-brown-gray roots clinging to the tree. These chlorophyllous roots really photosynthesize within the absence of the leaves.

The roots have white streaks referred to as pneumatodes, which trade oxygen and carbon in the same approach to the leaves on most crops.

Every root is encased in a velamen, which absorbs vitamins and water for the orchid.

D. lindenii begins blooming within the late spring and flowers final via mid-summer, although they will bloom outdoors of this era once they’re in the suitable temper.

Every raceme has as much as ten flowers, with just one open at a time and lasting for as much as two weeks.

The plant can have quite a few racemes, so every plant can have a bunch of ghosts floating round at a time.

Don’t confuse D. lindenii with the British ghost orchid (Epipogium aphyllum).

The latter is a terrestrial orchid that was regarded as extinct in Britain however a specimen was not too long ago found rising within the wild in 2024.

Cultivation and Historical past

Ghost orchids have been first found in Cuba by a Belgian plant collector named Jules Linden in 1844. They’re additionally native to southern Florida and different elements of the Caribbean.

In Florida, they’re often discovered on pond apples (Annona glabra), bald cypress, Florida buttonwood, varied palms, and pop ash timber (Fraxinus carolinianas).

In contrast to fowl’s-nest orchids which you’ll be able to’t develop at house, it’s technically potential to domesticate D. lindenii, however it’s very onerous. Even consultants battle to maintain them alive.

That’s partially as a result of these crops develop in a symbiotic relationship with species of helpful fungi within the Thelophoraceae household.

Additionally they depend on native pollinators just like the fig sphinx moth (Pachylia ficus), large sphinx moth (Cocytius antaeus), gaudy sphinx (Eumorpha labruscae), streaked sphinx (Protambulyx shigilis), and different hawkmoths.

So it’s not generally seen in cultivation.

Sadly, D. lindenii is endangered in its native vary. In Florida, there are most likely solely about 1,500 specimens left, with about 500 in Cuba.

Of these remaining within the wild, lower than half appear to have the ability to reproduce, indicating that the situations aren’t proper for copy.

Followers observe the blooming of the “tremendous” ghost orchid in Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary.

It was first noticed in 2007 and since then it has carried out yr after yr with as much as 40 blossoms per season. It even places out flowers all yr lengthy, to the delight of followers.

Orchid lovers celebrated when a specimen being cultivated on the Kew Botanical Gardens lastly bloomed in 2023.

Whereas it’s unlawful to take them from the wild, there’s not a lot level in doing so anyway, as a result of the crops not often survive. Nevertheless, their numbers are nonetheless being decimated by poachers persevering with to steal them.

That’s to not say that there aren’t sellers on the market with specimens that have been legally propagated, so be sure you do your analysis prior to creating any buy.

As talked about it’s not straightforward to domesticate ghost orchids as they require very particular situations to thrive, however I’ll present an summary of methods to develop these crops if you’re eager for a problem.

The place to Purchase

Be completely certain that you just’re shopping for a plant from a good vendor who isn’t promoting poached specimens.

There are many consultants propagating by way of tissue tradition on the market, so it’s completely potential to purchase a younger plant from an orchid specialist.

Keep away from buying seeds. They’re most likely not the actual factor and rising orchids from seed is hard to start with, not to mention making an attempt to develop one thing like D. lindenii.

To get your palms on a plant, take a look at orchid specialists or attain out to your native orchid society.

They’ll level you in the suitable route and can most likely know the respected sellers in your area, if there are any.

Develop Ghost Orchids

Rising a ghost orchid isn’t an endeavor for the start or perhaps a reasonably skilled orchid grower.

Ideally, you’ll have expertise cultivating mounted orchids, as a result of these completely received’t survive in a bark combination in a pot.

And it’s necessary to notice that crops can take as much as 15 years to mature and flower, even within the wild, so this isn’t a challenge that gives prompt gratification.

I’ll add that I by no means wish to discourage a gardener from making an attempt to develop something. Everybody has their strengths and weaknesses with regards to rising crops.

If you’re prepared to attempt one thing and settle for that you just may fail a number of instances earlier than you get it proper, I say go for it!

I can’t develop a Boston fern to save lots of my life, whereas all my associates inform me it’s their best houseplant.

However I can make a maidenhair fern flourish, whereas many gardeners say it’s their most difficult houseplant.

It’s not that I’m magically gifted, I simply occur to have the suitable situations and the appropriately heavy watering hand for maidenhairs. However clearly, I lack the flexibility to make a Boston fern glad.

In case you have by no means saved a moth orchid (Phalaenopsis spp.) for greater than a yr, that doesn’t imply you received’t have the suitable mixture to develop ghost orchids. Strive it out!

You want a spot with temperatures of about 65°F at evening and 85°F throughout the day. Absolutely the minimal acceptable nighttime temperature is 60°F and the minimal throughout the day is 75°F.

If temperatures climb to 90°F or increased, it’s time to open the home windows, vent the greenhouse, activate the AC, or no matter else you are able to do to alleviate the warmth.

All year long, ghost orchids want excessive humidity to thrive. Take into consideration the situations of a boggy or swampy space in southern Florida. It’s muggy. Your rising space needs to be, too.

Should you don’t have this naturally, you’ll have to recreate it. A small mist humidifier received’t work.

You want one thing massive sufficient to humidify your total rising area and to maintain that humidity fixed with out dips and surges.

The area needs to be saved persistently between 65 to 85 p.c humidity, however if you happen to can program your humidifier, let it drop to the decrease finish throughout the day and as much as the upper finish at evening.

This occurs naturally in nature, as a result of because the temperatures rise the humidity usually drops.

Bonus factors if you happen to use an ultrasonic humidifier that produces superb water particles slightly than massive ones.

You’ll want to make use of a fan within the area to assist flow into the air and forestall fungal points.

By now, you’re most likely pondering that this isn’t a plant that’s perfect for the common family situations, and also you’re proper.

Most orchid consultants develop D. lindenii in a greenhouse in order that they will create the precise situations the crops require.

Most of us don’t have the suitable situations in our properties and to achieve success might want to assemble a selected rising space.

Your plant will must be mounted on hickory or different furrowed bark wooden. You wish to discover a piece of wooden that has numerous channels and crevices, that’s a part of the key to protecting ghost orchids glad.

The channels within the wooden assist defend the roots and provides them area to remain humid and funky. Should you use a flat piece of wooden, the roots could be extra uncovered.

You don’t want to make use of a big piece. Something about twice the scale of the plant you’re beginning with is ok, however there’s nothing unsuitable with going greater.

Should you do the whole lot proper, your plant will develop big, with roots crawling as much as two toes in each instructions, so that you don’t wish to be continuously reattaching them.

When you could have chosen the wooden, use cyanoacrylate adhesive like Gorilla or Krazy glue to very fastidiously affix the roots to the wooden. Solely glue the elements of the roots that contact the wooden, don’t cowl the highest of sides.

You must glue the roots into the channels of the bark to recreate the situations the plant would naturally develop in. You’re mainly doing the attachment work that the specimen would do by itself over the course of a number of years.

Lastly within the mounting course of, you wish to stick Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides) on high of the roots.

Tuck the Spanish moss over and in between roots, in the event that they’re accessible. You may glue this, too, or safe it utilizing twine or one thing comparable.

It’s necessary to buy or discover dwell Spanish moss, not ornamental useless moss.

My guess is that dwell moss helps as a result of it comprises helpful goodies that assist the orchid survive, however there’s no particular analysis to inform us precisely why it helps.

Within the wild, D. lindenii develop with their roots tucked into the moss on the tree, so that they clearly have a symbiotic relationship, and scientists are at the moment learning the connection.

The dwell moss may also inform you if the situations are proper on your plant. It may be a guessing sport to find out if you happen to’re giving a specimen with no leaves and solely uncommon flowers the situations it must thrive.

For the reason that moss likes the same atmosphere as ghost orchids, if it appears to be doing effectively, your orchid will hopefully thrive, too.

When you’ve mounted your plant, it needs to be saved in vibrant, oblique mild or dappled daylight and the humid situations described above.

In a greenhouse, cowl the rising space with 35 to 50 p.c shade material. The day size needs to be about 12 to 14 hours, so that you may want supplemental lighting throughout the shorter winter months.

Preserve the roots moist throughout the vast majority of the yr. The roots of mature crops must be allowed to dry out a bit simply earlier than flowering.

You’ll wish to water them as soon as every week or much less throughout December, January, and February so the moss simply begins to dry out. As soon as the flower stems begin to develop, you may return to watering usually.

Because the roots develop and unfold, you’ll have to preserve including dwell Spanish moss to cowl them.

With all these situations in place and when the crops are mature sufficient, it is best to see flowers within the spring.

Observing Ghost Orchids within the Wild

If you wish to discover D. lindenii within the wild, it’s potential, however keep in mind to take solely photographs, and go away the wild specimens alone.

The truth is, you may not even wish to inform anybody the place you noticed them, to keep away from tipping off poachers.

Proper now, conservationists are petitioning to make the ghost orchid protected beneath the Endangered Species Act within the US.

D. lindenii is already protected beneath native state legal guidelines, so don’t try to gather any a part of the plant as that is strictly prohibited. Two folks have been caught and prosecuted in 2022.

D. lindenii is already beneath sufficient menace from habitat loss and local weather change, they want all of the help they will get.

With so many tissue-cultured propagules on the market, the wild specimens aren’t even price that a lot cash any extra.

I’m passionate in regards to the safety of endangered species, so please do your greatest to make sure that their atmosphere is left alone as a lot as potential.

In Florida, these crops are recognized to develop in Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, the Huge Cypress Nationwide Protect, Fakahatchee Strand Protect State Park, and the Florida Panther Nationwide Wildlife Refuge.

They will also be present in different conservation areas in southern Florida and in some tribal areas in Collier and Hendry counties.

There are rumors that they are often present in Lee county, however D. lindenii hasn’t been positively documented within the space. Should you discover some, be sure you let the South Florida Orchid Society know!

Put on your hip waders since you’ll be slogging via the muck, and use a GPS locator and be sure you inform your loved ones or associates the place you’ll be exploring.

Familiarize your self with the risks within the space, convey numerous water, and your digicam!

Should you discover a cluster of roots that you just suspect could possibly be a ghost orchid, however it lacks blossoms, have a look at the roots a bit extra intently.

The silver or white strains alongside the roots ought to tip you off that that is possible a ghost. Different epiphytic species within the space don’t have the silver line.