Back Epipogium aphyllum AST Epipogium aphyllum Azerbaijani Надбароднік бязлісты Byelorussian Надбароднік бязьлісьцевы BE-X-OLD Призрачна орхидея Bulgarian Epipogium aphyllum Catalan Epipogium aphyllum CEB Epipogium aphyllum Corsican Sklenobýl bezlistý Czech Y galdrist rithiol Welsh
| Ghost orchid | |
|---|---|
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| Habit | |
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| Ghost orchid flower | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Orchidaceae |
| Subfamily: | Epidendroideae |
| Genus: | Epipogium |
| Species: | E. aphyllum
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| Binomial name | |
| Epipogium aphyllum | |
| Synonyms | |
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Satyrium epipogium L. | |
Epipogium aphyllum, the ghost orchid, is a hardy mycoheterotrophic orchid lacking chlorophyll.[2] In much of its range, it is a rare representative of family Orchidaceae.[3]
It is famous for its unpredictable appearance; in many localities it has been seen just once.[4] It is found in beech, oak, pine, and spruce forests of Europe and Asia, on base-rich soils. It is a rare and critically endangered plant in Britain; it was believed to be extinct throughout much of its former range, although in 2009 and in 2024 it was re-confirmed, where the plants were believed to have become extinct.[5][6]
The plants are protected in many locales, and removing the plants from habitat or disturbing the plants, even for scientific study, can be a very serious matter in many jurisdictions. These plants are exceptionally rare and should never be removed from habitat or disturbed.[7]
In 1926 the Welsh botanist Eleanor Vachell was asked by the British Museum to investigate a report of the ghost orchid in England. For many years the Welsh National Herbarium at Amgueddfa Cymru (National Museum of Wales) had only a small rhizome that had been gathered by Vachell on 29 May 1926.[5]
- ^ Rankou, H. (2011). "Epipogium aphyllum (Europe assessment)". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2011: e.T176021A7174447. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
- ^ UKTV Viewer Enquiries. Plants Behaving Badly. Murder and Mayhem. Blu-ray. UPC 4006448510039
- ^ Efimov, P. G., & Sorokina, I. A. (2011). Epipogium aphyllum in NW-European Russia: distribution and habitats. Journal Europäischer Orchideen, 43(1), 99-118.
- ^ Juliette Jowit (March 8, 2010). "Ghost orchid comes back from extinction". The Guardian.
- ^ a b Ghost orchids - a fleeting occurrence in dark, shaded woods, 3 July 2013, Museum of Wales, retrieved 21 August 2016
- ^ Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland [@BSBIbotany] (13 August 2024). "Wow, amazing news! Huge congratulations to our friend, orchidologist & top plant spotter Richard @thenewgalaxy, who has refound Britain's rarest orchid after 30 years! As its #PlantAtlas2020 page says, this is 'the most arduously sought British plant'" (Tweet). Retrieved 13 August 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ Melanie Roy; Takahiro Yagame; Masahide Yamato; Koji Iwase; Christine Heinz; Antonella Faccio; Paola Bonfante; Marc-Andre Selosse (2009). "Ectomycorrhizal Inocybe species associate with the mycoheterotrophic orchid Epipogium aphyllum but not its asexual propagules". Annals of Botany. 104 (3): 595–610. doi:10.1093/aob/mcn269. PMC 2720653. PMID 19155220.