Lindenii - Orchid Board

Swamprat · #1 11-20-2008, 02:07 PM

I saw this movie "Adaptation" about a man who steals Orchids from a wildlife preservation in S. Florida. Alot of the movie is a true story. Susan Orlean is a writter for the "New Yorker" who did a story on this Orchid thief, she wrote a book called "The Orchid Thief". Orlean eventually falls in love with the thief and asked him to show her the "Ghost" Orchid, which is a rare Lindenii. I like this movie because it's a bit different than most love stories.

The "Ghost" is a real, rare Orchid in S. Florida. It is a Lindenii. I did research on Lindenii and quickly found a bunch of different kinds including ones called the "Ghost".
I ran into so many that I have to ask, are all orchids lindenii?

I really like the Dendrophylax Lindenii which resembles the "Ghost" in the movie "Adaptation". I just wanted to know if any one had a Lindenii and why are they so rare. I know that it's illegal to remove one from a national wildlife refuge but wouldn't someone farm these covetted plants? In the movie the thief found a loop hole in the laws of Florida regarding wildlife and plants, he got a native American to remove these plants because it is legal for them to do so.

This movie got me to really want an Orchid, this Lindenii in speciffic...I wanted to go out in the swamps of Florida and aquire this plant my self much the way people do with Bonsai trees (which I also grow).

This Orchid is the most beautifull flower I've ever seen, it's almost like I've fallen in love...with this Orchid.

"Adaptation" is a good movie about this kind of Orchid but along with the love story comes the heist (steaaling of Orchids), a nail bitting car chase, and even a murder. There is fiction to this story though, the Native Americans who stole the Orchids stole them for the sole reason of extracting a powdery drug which Orlean gets addicted to. I'm almost possative there is no drugs in Orchids but I have to ask, has any one ever heard of extracting chemicals from Orchids for a euphoric purpose?

Just something to talk about, something alittle different involving Orchids

Swamprat

tmaxwell · #2 11-20-2008, 02:40 PM

That's why I like these guys so much, they're filled with addictive drugs! Ha!
Dendrophylax are cultivated, and relatively available, but not ubiquitous in cultivation due to their relatively exacting needs. Their native habitat is on the sides of trees in hardwood swamps, with near 100% humidity, and good airflow. This is relatively hard to reproduce, in most cases. I've seen them in greenhouses, but they usually aren't doing all that well. On the other hand, some folks do fine with them, and get them to bloom, so I don't know. I don't own one, so hopefully someone who does can enlighten us (I like them too!)

Swamper · #3 11-20-2008, 03:07 PM

If you come down, you can look but you can't touch. Laroche thought he had found a loop hole but the judge didn't agree and fined him.
There are several people here that grow them.
Some of us hunt them and photograph them.
There are some in in my gallery in all sorts of stages.
I hope you join those of us who love it and protect it.

Royal · #4 11-20-2008, 03:21 PM

You can buy one from Oak Hill Gardens.

Swamprat · #5 11-22-2008, 04:55 AM

I do like them very much but not enough to steal one...this is why I asked if some one farms these rare orchids. I am all for preserving wildlife if it needs to be done. I like the way things are naturally, I embrace it and that inspires me with my plants.
Like I said, this movie made me want to go out in the swamp and get one...I would never think of breaking any laws but just to see this beautiful flower in it's natural state is enough for me. I'd like to eventually own one but only if it's legally aquired of couse.
I just wondered if any one had any experience with Lindenii.
Does any one know the Lindenii they hunted in speciffic in the movie? I tried looking it up online but can't find much about the Orchid it's self, just a bunch of stuf about the movie's story. I thought about watching the movie with the subtitles on so if I find out before some one lets us know on here I'll post it so every one knows what kind of Orchid this thread is about.

Thanks for the conversation every one
Swamprat

tmaxwell · #6 11-22-2008, 12:47 PM

It's Dendrophylax lindenii, or Polyrrhiza lindenii. Same plant, both names, but dendrophylax is the newer genus. There's a ton of info out there, I bet.

Swamprat · #7 11-22-2008, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tmaxwell

It's Dendrophylax lindenii, or Polyrrhiza lindenii. Same plant, both names, but dendrophylax is the newer genus. There's a ton of info out there, I bet.

I've seen lots of pictures of the Dendrophylax Lindenii...I wasn't aware that the Polyrrhiza was the same thing (because of my level of experience). I appriciate that bit of information. I tried listening very carefully to the movie but the Laroche character said the name so fast and fluently that I couldn't catch it.

Like I said, I'm not very experienced with Orchids and I would eventually like to own one of these Orchids, someone said they required a high humidity...is there anything else I should know?

Swamper · #8 11-22-2008, 03:19 PM

Just try to type in ghost or ghost orchid under the search heading on the top right of this page and you will get an incredible amount of information on them.

I didn't mean to come off as sounding like the ghost orchid police or insinuating that you would steal one so if I did...sorry. I was just answering your question.

There are several sellers of this plant now, although many times they are out. Some are somewhat established though they seem to me at least, to be easier to find in flasks.

Aleksa · #9 11-24-2008, 01:32 PM

Oh, ghost orchid... My old love...

I've also watched Adaptation, and i got crazy for that plant. I'm trying to get one for 2 years.. I asked almost every orchid nursery in Europe, and some in America and Australia, but there is no way I could get one... Not even in flask...

camille1585 · #10 11-24-2008, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aleksa

Oh, ghost orchid... My old love...

I've also watched Adaptation, and i got crazy for that plant. I'm trying to get one for 2 years.. I asked almost every orchid nursery in Europe, and some in America and Australia, but there is no way I could get one... Not even in flask...

I know what you mean.

Last year I helped a friend try to locate a vendor in the EU that has it. No luck. There was a grower that had it 4-5 years ago, but he's out of the business now.