Rarer than the ghost orchid - Triphora craigheadii

[prem]

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) and only a handful of people have ever seen it at all, much less in bloom. 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.





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 Florida's Native and Naturalized Orchids within the next few weeks with more information on this species.





Enjoy!
---Prem

[Justin Parkkonen]

Prem,

What a find! This is a very cool orchid indeed. Wonderful photos as well, it must have been a challenge to photograph such a small orchid, especially with a flash.

[SP2340]

OMG that's incredible... I never knew such small ones existed!

[RosieC]

Wow

Great find, and great pics. That is soooo tiny, I don't know how anyone would ever spot it!

[nenella]

Originally Posted by RosieC

Wow

Great find, and great pics. That is soooo tiny, I don't know how anyone would ever spot it!

I agree!!

[jkofferdahl]

Wow, that's simply awesome. Thanks for sharing!

[isurus79]

Very cool! Is this one in cultivation or being sold commercially by anyone?

[prem]

Isurus, I seriously doubt it...Triphoras are known to rely heavily on their mycorhizae (and often will remain underground for several years before re-emerging, using their leaves only partially for the sustenance of the plant). I doubt that they could be grown commercially...and with flowers that only last one morning, they probably wouldn't have much of a cultivation appeal, anyway.

Further, being so incredibly rare (with total known populations being only a few hundred plants), collecting even a single seed pod from the wild would represent a tremendous loss.

---Prem

[lepanthes89]

Fantastic.
Do you have a picture of the Lepanthopsis species that is native to FL. as well?

[prem]

lepanthes...the Lepanthopsis species is very seldom seen...I don't think anyone knows of a specific recent locality.