Leafless orchids--anyone tried them?
 

I was perusing Oak Hill's website when I saw this special on leafless orchids, which I found quite intriguing. Anyone have any experience with these? Would they be at all within the reach of a home grower? Or should I leave this to the experts?

Oak Hill Gardens

If they are something you like, then why not? Don't see why they would be any harder to grow than many other orchids. At least the leaves won't rot :biggrin: :crackup:

LMAO!

Dunno scott, I don't grow any of these myself, so I really can comment. I've heard the ghost can be rather difficult to grow due to high humidity.
It would be wonderful if you decided to try one of these gems :D

I grow several species of Chiloschista. They are fairly easy to grow and flower in a terrarium. I doubt they'd survive long on a window sill, but I wouldn't call them difficult as long as you can maintain humidity and air movement. I don't think you need to be an expert (how does one become an expert at anything without trying it first?) but perhaps you need to put some thought into how you'd accomodate their needs before you rush out and purchase some. I treat them like a slightly fussy Phalaenopsis.
On the other hand, I have heard that only a few people are able to keep the ghost orchid alive longer than a few years. Not sure if this is true or if it's just part of the mystique surrounding this plant. Never tried to grow one.

I wouldn't throw away a ghost orchid because I thought it was dead. Get the name? There may be a shortage of them in the wild these days as this Florida drought drags on. They say we are at record lows in Lake Okeechobee. Officially as of yesterday. All time historical low.

Saw that as well and was wondering myself if it would be feasible in-home growing. Anyone out there have experience growing indoors.

Ross your to funny...would be a blessing though never to worry about the leaves, saves time on clean-up:biggrin:

Scott, I'm sure if you gave Greg at Oakhill a call he or one of the staff there would be happy to answer that question. They wouldn't want to sell you something that doesn't have a great chance of survival.

Let us know what you decide :)

Excellent advice to all of us. I am constantly fine-tuning my collection as I find something that doesn't do as well as expected or that doesn't meet my interests. I am definitely one to try leafless minis some day in the future.

Hi Scott

I would go for the Chiloschista, they are easier (as markr said). but more importantly, don't go for the ghost, for two reasons. They are very similar (a bit nicer) to Dendrophylax funalis, but harder to cultivate and the ones that are being sold are younger.

note: POLYRRHIZA (POLYRADICION) lindenii is a synonym of Dendrophylax lindenii

Hi Scott, I have a Polyrrhiza Lindenil (ghost orchid) that I purchased on ebay. I have had it about 3 months and it seems to be doing ok. Like Tricho said the ones being sold are small, probably growen in a flasked. I do have one advantage I happen to live where they grow naturally. From what I have read about it is that they can be very difficult to get to flower in captivity if your lucky to get it to grow to maturity. I visit 3 ghost orchids in the wild about every 2 to 3 weeks and have noticed that all of them are where water is most of the year and not in the direct sun, they also like air movement. The price of a seedling is around $30.00 with no garantees. Good luck and keep us informed how it goes. In my gallery I have pictures of a spiking ghost orchid :biggrin: According to this link Ghost Orchid - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia the ghost is very rare and endangered In another artical I read their are only 90 known plant in the Fakahatchee Strand I believe that was from the East Florida Orchid Org.

Polyradicion lindenii is actually a VERY common species in its localities (Fakahatchee Strand, Big Cypress, etc.). The reason it is thought to be rare is because it is limited to Cuba and four counties in Florida; Collier, Lee, Hendry, and Monroe. The areas where they are found are not easily accessible unless visited in the driest months (our winter and spring)... :)

-Pat

I think the ghost orchids are exactly what we all love about orchids. They are not your average run-of-the-mill plants. They are weird alien like creatures. They do strange things and just when you expect the mother ship to land and drag them off, "POP!" Out comes a wonderful flower.

Charles, I just bought a dendrophylax funalis which came yesterday. It is a very nice size and in beautiful condition. Thought I would give it a try, gotta be daring.:bananaslide:

Julie

I also grow a Chiloschista; I do not find it to be finicky, but my humidity is really high, and it grows outside most of the time. Chicago, though?
My thoughts on *this* leafless orchid: inflorescence grows agonizingly slowly, and I'm totally stunned every time it blooms.
I have also heard that the FL ghost orchid (Polyrhiza?) is just not a good choice for home culture...unless you have a shack in the Everglades.