"The ghost orchid found in the National Audubon Societys Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary breaks all records, said Mike Owen, the park ranger who has spent nearly 14 years monitoring and researching the rare plants. ... The plant is remarkable for its size, height and location, he said.
Its giant, with eight or nine blossoms. A 10th bud will probably flower soon, he said. Its normally a big deal to see a plant with just three blossoms, said Owen, who works at the Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve... The Corkscrew plant is also 60 feet in the air, which is unheard of, Owen said. The highest we know of is 23 feet. The orchid also is unusual because it is attached to a bald cypress tree. Owens research shows that only 1 percent of ghost orchids are found on the bald cypress. The flowers are found 85 percent of the time on pop ash trees, 10 percent of the time on pond apples, and the other 4 percent scattered among seven other sites, including strangler fig and live oak. Part of the reason for this ghost orchids record height and size is that ... its a super healthy, really robust plant, Owen said. Its probably 30 years old... URL : http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070711/NEWS0105/70711005 ************** "ABOUT GHOST ORCHIDS Belgian plant collector Jean Jules Linden discovered the plant [species] in Cuba in 1844. Fifty years later, it was found in the Everglades and Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve. It is found in moist, swampy forests in Southwest Florida, the Bahamas and Cuba. The orchid blossoms between June and August, with one to 10 fragrant flowers. ... The 400- to 500-year-old tree to which the orchid is attached is 150 feet from the boardwalk, and the orchid, bearing nine flowers (most ghost orchids have two or three), is 45 feet [not 60 ?] above the ground... Ghost orchids are endangered on the states list of imperiled species, and its two biggest threats are habitat loss and poaching. ... Ghost orchids bloom for about two weeks... [Corkscrew manager Ed] Carlson said the plant was possibly decades old. Its got a big, old root mass on it, he said. ... the orchid is so high in the cypress theyre usually found at about 20 feet or less above ground level. ... Theyre very rare, and this one is unusual because it has so many flowers, [photographer Ralph] Arwood said. Theyre pretty impressive flowers... as big as your hand... URL : http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070711/NEWS0105/70711003 ************** photos : 1) caption : "A rare ghost orchid with multiple blooms grows on a bald cypress tree at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. The endangered flower was spotted Saturday by visitors looking for owls." http://cmsimg.news-press.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=A4&Date=20070711&Category=NEWS0105&ArtNo=70711003&Ref=V1&Profile=1007&MaxW=400&MaxH=400&Q=80&title=1 2) caption : "The 400- to 500-year-old tree to which the orchid is attached is about 150 feet from the boardwalk." http://cmsimg.news-press.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=A4&Date=20070711&Category=NEWS0105&ArtNo=70711003&Ref=AR&Profile=1007&MaxW=400&MaxH=400&Q=80&title=1 ************** Regards, VB _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [email protected] http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
