The rare Ghost Orchid might be known to the world through the book , “ The Orchid Thief ” and the 2002 Meryl Streep motion-picture show , “ Adaptation . ”But flora fancier and conservationists live about this leafless plant because it resembles a wraith when its white bloom relocation at night . Scientistsestimate2,000 Ghost Orchids live in Southwest Florida and about 300 in Cuba ’s Guanahacabibes Peninsula . The population of the aboriginal plant in the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge in Collier County isprojected to declineby 20 % in the next decennium due to development , poaching , and other factors . The plant is also hard to propagate .
Through a long - term partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services ( USFWS ) , Michael Kane , a University of Florida prof emeritus of environmental horticulture , has attempt to preserve the Ghost Orchid universe in Collier County .
Hoang Nguyen ( Courtesy Michael Kane )
Kane ’s reputation as a cosmos - renown Ghost Orchid conservationist precedes him , which is why he was asked to show the plant and other Southwest Florida orchids at the invitation - onlyChelsea Flower Show , May 22 - 27 in England .
Well over 150,000 multitude are expected to attend the show , so Kane and his colleagues are ready to answer enquiry such as what gain the Ghost Orchid alone and what are the causes of its universe fall .
Jameson Coopman
A milestone in Kane ’s Ghost Orchid research came in 2016 when he work with Hoang Nguyen and Jameson Coopman , who were then fine-tune students at the UF / IFAS College of Agricultural and Life Sciences ( CALS ) .
Together , the research worker developed ways to culture the Ghost Orchid in the propagation science laboratory at the UF campus in Gainesville . There , the scientist germinated seed — provided by USFWS – under uninspired conditions on a gelled medium and transferred the plants into a greenhouse .
Then , they successfully reintroduced the Ghost Orchids into the state of nature of Southwest Florida – a vast accomplishment .
Both students went on to bring in advanced degree and bring out their research . “ The show organizer recognize the scientific advancements we have made toward conserving many Southwest Florida aboriginal orchid metal money since 1997 , ” Kane said . “ The display at the Chelsea Flower Show will feature aboriginal orchid preservation in Britain , Florida – let in the Ghost Orchid – and the orchidaceous plant of Cameroon . ”
( Courtesy Michael Kane )
Kane credit efforts to preserve the plant to a squad . “ The progress made in conserving the Ghost Orchid has result from gifted UF / IFAS students , research quislingism with Lawrence Zettler ( a biology prof at Illinois College ) , and a successful long - full term USFWS enquiry partnership , ” say Kane , who retired from UF / IFAS in 2019 . “ Do Florida residents know about the Ghost Orchid being in peril ? I attempt to bridge that knowledge gap . ”
Kane embrace the chance to chitchat about the Ghost Orchid , scientifically known as Dendrophylax lindenii . In Florida , he tries to educate the public about the plant by speak at orchid society meeting and learn lecture whenever he can .
In honor of last yr ’s Platinum Jubilee , John Parke Wright IV of Naples – founder and president of the Orchid Conservation Chelsea and a member of the Lykes family of Tampa – worked with Zettler to present Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II with a Florida - created orchidaceous plant . Kane did not give ear last twelvemonth ’s presentation , but Zettler said it was a “ no - brainer ” to invite Kane this year .
“ He ’s considered to be one of the mankind ’s frontmost experts on the Ghost Orchid , ” Zettler say . “ He provides the missing factor on many long - unanswered questions from how to pair the Ghost Orchid to grow it in the wild . ”
An interesting footnote : This year ’s show will have a Gator flavor to it . Kane worked for decennium at UF / IFAS . Zettler graduate from UF / IFAS CALS with a bachelor ’s in agriculture and is a fellow member of the organizing committee for the flower show ’s display . In addition , Wright gain his associate ’s degree from UF .
For more data : UF / IFASifas.ufl.edu
