Florida's Oft-overlooked Ghost Orchid-- Dendrophylax porrectus

We are now entering the blooming season for Florida's enigmatic 'Little Ghost Orchid' (not its actual common name - Jingle Bell Orchid or Needleroot Orchid are the most often used names). It was originally discovered in Florida growing in a citrus grove near Oneco, FL, then having the name Aeranthus porrectus. It has since bounced around between several genera and species - Harrisella porrecta, Campylocentrum porrectum, Campylocentrum filiforme, to finally land in the genus Dendrophylax (as Dendrophylax porrectus) , the same genus as its more famous cousin, the Ghost Orchid. While the Ghost Orchid has large, showy flowers, Dendrophylax porrectus has tiny, inconspicuous flowers barely bigger than a pinhead growing on a plant that is easily overlooked, being just a bundle of untidy roots. It is most likely the most common epiphytic orchid in Florida, but is very rarely seen...giving it a state protected status of Threatened. While the range of other epiphytic orchids has decreased due to freezes in the 70s and 80s, folks continue to find new northern populations, gradually extending its known range northward. While it used to be found commonly in citrus groves, the use of herbicides to control ball mosses, wild pines and other air plants of the genus Tillandsia has made it unlikely to find them in this habitat anymore.



Its seed pods are probably the most conspicuous aspect of this plant, fairly large and turning a bright brown-orange just prior to dehiscing.



The most common host trees for this orchid are Eastern Red Cedar, Pop Ash, Bald Cypress, and Pond Apple. They are most commonly found on small twigs an inch or less in diameter, especially in the crooks between branches, but I have seen plants growing on larger branches and, even in one case, on a fairly large tree trunk. The typical habitat for these will be near a swampy area where other more moisture-loving epiphytes are growing - Encyclia tampensis, Epidendrum magnoliae, Tillandsia setacea, Tillandsia bartramii, Tillandsia utriculata, Tillandsia balbisiana, Tillandsia variabilis, Tillandsia fasciculata, Tillandsia paucifolia (bulbosa), Tillandsia simulata. Look up at the undersides of branches for slender, silvery orchid roots that don't connect to anything resembling a plant. If you're lucky, you'll see the tiny green flowers that are a marvel of miniaturization nestled amongst split seed pods that look very much like little brown bells.


It blooms from August in central Florida into November in the southern counties. Click the link below to see more photographs and read more about this intriguing miniature orchid:

>> Dendrophylax porrectus (Harrisella porrecta) Information Page at Florida Native Orchids <<

Michaux's Orchid (Habenaria quinqueseta)

Michaux's Orchid (Habenaria quinqueseta) is rather widespread in the state of Florida, being found in a large swathe of the peninsula and even a few panhandle counties. Its spidery white-green flowers emerge from this time of year in north-central Florida into wintertime in the southernmost counties. I had the privilege of photographing this orchid at a lovely couple's house in the Brooksville, Florida (Citrus County) area. While I was not able to be there to verify this in person, they described the flowers as having a night fragrance that strongly resembled magnolias.

Interestingly enough, as I was reading their e-mail describing the fragrance, another e-mail came in from someone who lived in the same general area asking me to identify her yard volunteer orchids. It turned out to be more of the same species growing not five miles from where I was photographing that day. Apparently, these orchids like to grow in people's yards in the Brooksville area. This makes me want to move to Brooksville.


The spidery flowers are the largest of the Habenarias in the US, spanning 1.5 to 2 inches (3.7 to 5cm) across.

A previous post to this blog showed Habenaria macroceratitis, which some consider as a variety of H. quinqueseta. Others maintain this to be a separate species, based on several characteristics, including the spur length (H. quinqueseta has a significantly shorter spur/nectary than H. macroceratitis)

You can read more about this species at the new information page at the Florida Native Orchid website:

>> Michaux's Orchid Information Page at www.flnativeorchids.com <<

I have also created an information page for H. macroceratitis:

>> Long-horned False Rein Orchid at www.flnativeorchids.com<<

Enjoy!
---Prem

Holding Court with Royalty, Part 6 - Behold the Queen!!! (Platanthera blephariglottis)

If Platanthera ciliaris is the King of the Bog, then the White Fringed Orchid could certainly be considered The Queen. Her cream-white flowers closely resemble the Orange Fringed Orchid, but differ not only in color (at one point she was considered an albino form of the Orange Fringed), but also in shape and the depth of fringing on the lip.



I was directed back in 2004 to an area where these orchids were supposed to be found in northeastern Florida. Following the map I had been given, I drove relentlessly back and forth on this one stretch of highway, trying to spot these orchids. After a few hours of searching, I had no success...it seemed that the area where these were supposed to grow had been mowed down to within an inch of its life. Finally, I headed home with a heavy heart, thinking that all was lost.

I happened to glance over to the other side of the road well out of the indicated range on the map, and a fleeting glimpse of white caught my eye. As I exited the car, my heart leapt into my throat...three plants were just starting to open their first flowers. I marked the area and returned the next week to flowering stems as fully open as they could be (by the time the top buds open, the bottom flowers are far past spent).

Four years passed by...after which I returned to the area with better photographic equipment, hoping to reprise my earlier photographs. This time, our timing must have been off, as the only orchids to be seen were a few Crested Fringed Orchids along a side road...probably a bit too early for The Queen.

The next year, I returned to find two White Fringed plants on their very last flower...obviously too late in the year. Of course, you have to add to the mix the fact that an unseasonably cool or warm winter can throw these plants off by several weeks, making their blooming time a bit of a moving target.

This year, armed with the dates of the previous years' attempts, we finally found a group of plants in flower. The camera was pulled out and a few nice pictures resulted. The next week proved even better...there must have been a hundred plants scattered along this one area maybe one quarter mile long. At long last, I was able to recapture these beauties at a higher resolution to present for your viewing pleasure.

To see all the photos, head over to the newly revised White Fringed Orchid Page, linked below:

>> White Fringed Orchid Information Page <<

Holding Court with Royalty, Part 5 - The King of the Bog (Platanthera ciliaris)

Ascending from the moist pinelands, prairies, roadsides and bogs, the Orange Fringed Orchid (Platanthera ciliaris) has no equal. The plants themselves can reach three feet (~1m) tall with flower heads 6 inches (15 cm) in height. Each heavily fringed flower is around 1 inch (2.5cm) in length, not including the spur, and ranges in color from yellow-orange to apricot.


You can learn even more about this species (including a detailed discussion of their pollination mechanism) by following the link below:

>> The Orange Fringed Orchid Information Page <<

Holding Court with Royalty, Part 4 - The Crown Prince (Platanthera chapmanii)

One of the rarest orchids in the United States, Platanthera chapmanii is believed to be descended from natural hybrids of Platanthera cristata and Platanthera ciliaris owing to the fact that it appears to be intermediate in form and size between these two species. Because of this, it has been given the hybrid designation Platanthera x chapmanii in some publications. While it does often inhabit the same areas where one or both of the purported parents are also found, this is not always the case. Further, it appears to maintain stable populations, sometimes rather expansive, in areas where it is found. Because of these qualities, it has been elevated in recent years to a species in its own right.

You can read more about this species at the newly revamped Platanthera chapmanii page below:

>> Chapman's Fringed Orchid Information Page <<

Enjoy!
---Prem

Holding Court with Royalty, Part 3 - Crested Fringed Orchid (Platanthera cristata)

Here is another one of the bog princelings, Platanthera cristata, or the Crested Fringed Orchid. It emerges typically a few weeks prior to the largest of the native Platantheras (P. ciliaris, P. chapmanii, and P. blephariglottis), finishing up with the last of the flowers on its spike when they are starting to open their first flowers.

I took this photo on a recent field trip my wife and I took searching for the elusive queen of the Platantheras, but more on that later.

Its proportions are similar to the P. nivea and P. integra shown previously...roughly a 12-18 inch plant with a 2-3 inch flower head. I have seen particularly robust plants exceed these dimensions a little.

You can find out even more about this species on my newly refurbished Crested Fringed Orchid information page. Click on the link below:

>> The New Crested Fringed Orchid Info Page <<

Enjoy!

---Prem

Holding Court with Royalty, Part 2 - Orange Fringeless Orchid (Platanthera integra)

In early to mid August (at least in the Florida panhandle where I'm most familiar), one of the bog princelings comes into bloom. Platanthera integra, also known as the Orange Fringeless Orchid or the Yellow Fringeless Orchid) blazes forth in a brilliant yellow-orange color. When viewed in the late afternoon, when the sun has become more golden in color, its flower heads appear to be literally on fire.


This species has roughly the same proportions as Platanthera integra, with some key differences being flower color, flower presentation (lips-downward or resupinate), and a lack of fragrance. While many of the Floridian bog-dwelling Platantheras, have decided fringes on their lips, P. integra has lips with only the slightest etching, as if it aspires one day to be like its larger family members.

You can read even more about this species on the updated Orange Fringeless Orchid web page by clicking the link below:

>> Orange Fringeless Orchid Information Page <<

Enjoy!

---Prem

Holding Court with Royalty, Part 1 - Snowy Orchid (Platanthera nivea)

Over the next few blog posts, I will be featuring the royal family of the Floridian bog orchids, the Platantheras, many of which are in bloom around this time of year. As far as showiness and gaudiness, there is arguably none other like this group to grace our fair state. Frequent inhabitants of wet roadsides bordering wet pinelands, these plants are hard to miss when bloom time and drive time coincide--even if the driver is careening down the road at highway speeds.

So, let us enter the court of these lovely kings, queens, princes, and princesses and admire them for their beauty, their sheer ostentatiousness, as they grace the bogs with their royal presence...

First on our list is the delicate princess, Platanthera nivea, emerging one-to-two months before her more stately kin. Her delicate spikes of snowy-white flowers gleam with crystalline beauty in the sunny, wet meadows and moist pinelands where she makes her home. Plants are usually less than 18 inches tall (45.7 cm) with a three-inch (5 cm) flower head. Unlike many of her kindred, the flowers are presented with their unfringed lips held uppermost and bear an unmistakable fragrance--not unlike that of citrus blossoms.

You can read more about this species (and see more photos) at the newly revised FLNativeOrchids.com Snowy Orchid page below :

>> The Snowy Orchid Information Page <<

---Prem