Monday, June 29, 2009

Endemic to Florida - the rarest of the rare, Triphora craigheadii

Dr. Carl Luer, author of The Native Orchids of Florida, was first made aware of this orchid in the late 1950's. It was not until several years later that he found plants of this species in flower, after several unsuccessful attempts. Described by Luer in 1966 and named Triphora craigheadii after the late Dr. Frank Craighead, Sr., entomologist and botanist at the Everglades National Park, this orchid is only known from a few localities in central Florida (and one or two possible localities from southern Florida). It may grow in many places, but it is so small as to be virtually undetectable, quietly inhabiting the understory of the understory of mixed oak/pine/juniper forests, where it grows as a terrestrial or occasionally a lithophyte over the limestone underlayment where it makes its home. As a genus, Triphoras are often quite small. This species is a liliputian even among Triphoras. I have included an image below with a U.S. penny placed in the shot to give an idea of the sense of scale.

Triphora craigheadii

Triphora craigheadii

To make it even harder to find these plants, they only bloom during the last week of June and first week or two of July. Were it not for the guidance of a good friend, I would not have these photographs to present to you today. Look for an update to the Florida Native Orchids website within the next few weeks with more information on this species.

Triphora craigheadii

Triphora craigheadii
Enjoy!
---Prem

6 comments:

nature photography travels said...

excellant Prem. Thanks for sharing. I hope someday to get down and see some of these rarities.

tom in Cleveland

Unknown said...

Thank you so much for sharing! You are an amazing photographer.

It's good to know that such a tiny wonder exists.

orchidartist said...

They're beautiful! Love the wavy leaves, lime green and pink coloration - so different from our own T. trianthophora. Thanks for sharing and for posting the penny for scale. I will be sending links to this to several of my friends, for sure. They won't believe me otherwise!

Meems said...

Very nice. A teensy beauty and you've captured it well to share with us.... thanks.

Cynthia Padilla said...

As a painter of macro views of nature subjects,I have also added a visual aid, like a penny or wee ruler, next to a subject to indicate scale. Love the penny placed next to the growing orchid!

'Fruit Flower Insect' workshops with Cynthia Padilla http://fruitflowerinsect.blogspot.com/

Unknown said...

Great blog!

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