Florida hosts a treasure trove
of orchids, especially state park Fakahatchee Strand Preserve. Now scientists
there are keen to restore certain species lost through the years as a result of
poachers and habitat destruction.
The allure of so-called 'lost orchids' never dies (see below).
The park is located on a shallow
swamp, marked by tall cypress trees. Orchid thieves are common,
especially where cowhorn orchid are concerned. Over the past ten years, and in working
in partnership with the Atlanta Botanical Garden, Fakahatchee scientists have
harvested seeds and re-cultivated cowhorn orchids for replanting throughout the
swamp.
The spectacular cowhorn, with
its hundreds of dotted flowers, was down to just 17 orchids in the 85,000-acre
park. Ten years on, there are several hundred. A similar success was had with the
dollar orchid, another endangered species.
Sadly, two other orchids are lost
to Florida in general, namely the rat-tail orchid and another known only by its
scientific name, Epidendrum acunae.
Much time and effort and energy has
been spent seeking these lost orchids, but it seems they are locally extinct,
according to local reports.
In a bid to restore the lost
orchids to Fakahatchee, scientists turned to Cuba, just 200 miles away and
asked for help.
The botanical garden possessed
both species and are now helping to restore the ‘lost orchids’ to Florida.
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The Lost Orchid by Pamela Kelt is available on Amazon.
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