Tag Archives: dendrophylax lindenii

Dendrophylax lindenii

Dendrophylax lindenii Linden was discovered by Jean Jules Linden in St. Jaio de Cuba in September of 1844. 36 years later in 1880 it was discovered in Collier County Florida by A.H. Curtiss. It is a member of the tribe Vandeae and subtribe Angraecinae. Polyrrhiza lindenii is a previous name for this orchid and it’s still commonly known by this.

Photo taken by Nicole Neal of specimen in research collection.

This orchid thrives in the high humid, swampy forests of Cuba, Florida and Caribbean Island. It is an epiphyte, which means it grows on another plant and in this case, a tree. The leaves of this plant are reduced to scales and photosynthesis occurs through the roots.

This plant blooms between June and August when the roots are 7-8 inches across in mass and when the environment is cool and dry and the plant has only a small need of water. However, a blooming plant is rare to find. The flowers are white and scented with a fruity smell. They grow from the roots to a spike with two branch like projections. The roots often blend in with tree giving the flower the appearance of floating in the air. This observation led to the plant commonly being called the “ghost orchid”.  The great sphinx moth is the only insect with a long enough proboscis able to pollinate the plant.

Dendrophylax lindenii is famously known for its reference in the non-fiction book The Orchid Thief (Susan Orlean, 1998), and the movie based on the book, Adaptation (2002).

The DNA of this plant was extracted by others.

References:

Ghost Orchid Info http://www.ghostorchid.info/generalinformation.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dendrophylax_lindenii

Most Beautiful Orchid http://mostbeautifulorchids.blogspot.com/2011/09/dendrophylax-lindenii.html#.T1E1-4cgd8l