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Ghost Orchid Dendrophylax lindenii

Phonetic Spelling
den-dro-FY-laks lin-DEN-ee-eye
Description

Ghost Orchid is an epiphytic orchid (growing on the surface of another plant) with showy white flowers native to moist dense forested areas in Florida and Cuba.  It is usually leafless, but its roots are green and can perform photosynthesis for the plant. This plant can be found in native environments in only a few southern Florida counties and is listed as endangered in Florida. The white to creamy green or pale yellow flowers, which bloom through the late winter into summer, open in succession, usually one or two at a time, and are very fragrant at night. The lower petal has two long tendrils that twist slightly downward, resembling the hind legs of a jumping frog and the roots are so well camouflaged that the flower seems to float in mid-air, hence its common name of "ghost orchid". The species name "lindenii" is derived from its discoverer, the Belgian plant collector Jean Jules Linden, who saw this orchid for the first time in Cuba in 1844. Much later, it was also discovered in the Florida Everglades.

Attempting to grow this species of orchid is very difficult and most attempts to raise seedlings into adult plants in sterile culture end in failure. This orchid is fully protected by Florida state laws, which forbid its removal from the wild. Plants collected from the wild typically do not survive removal from their habitat, and die within a year. In the wild, this plants habitat consists of the trunks or main branches of living trees, especially apple trees.

See this plant in the following landscape:
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#colorful#herbaceous perennial#long bloom time#unusual flowers#non-toxic for horses#non-toxic for dogs#non-toxic for cats#tropical feel
 
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#colorful#herbaceous perennial#long bloom time#unusual flowers#non-toxic for horses#non-toxic for dogs#non-toxic for cats#tropical feel
  • Attributes:
    Genus:
    Dendrophylax
    Species:
    lindenii
    Family:
    Orchidaceae
    Life Cycle:
    Perennial
    Country Or Region Of Origin:
    Florida, Cuba
    Distribution:
    Bahamas
  • Whole Plant Traits:
    Plant Type:
    Epiphyte
    Herbaceous Perennial
    Houseplant
    Growth Rate:
    Slow
    Maintenance:
    High
  • Fruit:
    Fruit Type:
    Capsule
  • Flowers:
    Flower Color:
    Gold/Yellow
    Green
    White
    Flower Inflorescence:
    Raceme
    Flower Value To Gardener:
    Fragrant
    Long Bloom Season
    Showy
    Flower Bloom Time:
    Spring
    Summer
    Flower Shape:
    Tubular
    Flower Petals:
    Bracts
    Flower Description:
    Flowers bloom from late winter, through spring, into summer. Tubular bracts sheath flowered racemes. Flowers open in succession, usually one or two at a time and are nocturnally fragrant. Sepals and petals are white to creamy green or pale yellow-brown.
  • Leaves:
    Hairs Present:
    No
    Leaf Description:
    This plant is often leafless, but when leaves are present, they are small and bract-like.
  • Stem:
    Stem Is Aromatic:
    No
    Stem Description:
    Stems are inconspicuous and obscured by roots.
  • Landscape:
    Landscape Location:
    Coastal
    Houseplants
    Design Feature:
    Specimen