Ghost Orchid

The most famous ghost orchid is the American Ghost Orchid found in the Fakahatchee, Big Cypress and Corkscrew swamps of Collier County, Florida. It is called the ghost orchid because the roots blends very well with the trunk or branch of the tree it is growing on and the flowers look as if hanging in the air. It has no leaves and its scientific name is Dendrophylax lindenii.

"The Ghost Orchid (Dendrophylax lindenii) was first discovered by Jean Jules Linden who observed this amazing orchid in the forests of Sague and Nimanima, St. Jaio de Cuba in September of 1844.  It wasn’t until 1880 until the Ghost Orchid was discovered in Florida by A.H. Curtiss in Collier County.  The range of the Ghost Orchid includes humid areas of Florida, Cuba, and Haiti, most likely existing on other nearby Caribbean islands in addition.  ... The Ghost Orchid has a five inch nectar spur containing sugar rich nectar.  The only local insect which has a long enough proboscis (tongue) to drink the nectar is the giant sphinx moth" (GhostOrchid.Info). 

The "Super Ghost" discovered growing at about 50 feet on a cypress tree in the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is said to be currently the only plant whose location is not kept secret. Normally the ghost orchid grows at about eye-level. It was discovered in July 2007 by a bird watcher looking for owls in the Corkscrew Sanctuary. Super Ghost has become a celebrity not only locally, but far and wide in the world. It is estimated to be about fifty years old and received a lot of attention by the public. The Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary website carries these messages:

On January 25, 2015, one of our volunteers discovered that it has one bloom!!!  The first of the new year!  It is a new record for the ghost orchid, blooming in January, the earliest in the year it had bloomed previously was late March of 2010! 

...

2015 Activity:

February 11 - no flowers in bloom

February 8 - 1 new flower opened

February 7  -  the first flower had closed

January 25 -  1 flower was discovered in bloom, the earliest known record of a Ghost Orchid blooming!

And also for the activities in 2014.  And so that's how they love a little big orchid!