Found in mulch
 

I was cleaning up around my croutons (which hasn't been done in a loooong time.):blushing: and noticed this inflorescence, and then noticed the huge pseudobulb growing in the mulch. It appears to be dead leafs grow from the side of the bulb. Not even sure it's an orchid. But sure looks like one. I checked my Florida native book and couldn't find it. Doesn't anyone know what it is?

That's Eulophia graminea, an asian terrestrial orchid that is naturalizing in Florida. First discovered in Miami in 2007 (growing in mulch), it is spreading like crazy. I found a plant here in my neighborhood in north Broward County. I believe that it's now also been seen in Palm Beach and Collier counties.
Here's a link.

Second it being Eulophia graminea.

Native to Southeast Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia).

These are so hardy, they can withstand a lot of neglect and still not skip a beat.

They're related to Cymbidiums.

I knew I could count on you guys. My book doesn't list it only listed Eulophia alta.

I should add that it is considered an exotic invasive and should be removed. OK to dig it up and keep it as a captive if you like so long as you take steps to prevent the spread of the seeds. Eradication efforts are already underway in sensitive natural areas.

I agree with Bruce. As an invasive species, it should be removed. It think you should box it up and ship it to me here in Pennsylvania where I will carefully keep in under control under lights in my basement. :biggrin:

Cheers.
Jim

I dug up a clump from a friend's garden. It has quite a number of spikes in it. It came with her mulch also. If some of the seeds can find their way to help make my neighborhood more interesting I'm all for it. I suspect though the lawn guys will take care of that before anyone knows what they have. I'm in south Palm Beach County.

Did some reading ... now I'm not so sure if I should keep it or not :scratchhead: the flowers are small but cute.

Not a big fan of invasive plants, But I would like to see it in flower. When it's done flowering and before it pods up I will cut the spikes and send it to you.

If you find any others, I would love to give it a home up here where it cannot spread!!!!

Slip a couple of air potatoes in the box as well. In 3 months DJ will need a machete to get into his basement! ;)

:lol:

What is an air potato?

Also found in the mulch
 

That one I know Zeuxime strateumatica. They grow all over the state. Flowering period Dec.- April. Not invasive but a has become naturalized. Nice find.

Thanks, interesting.

Hate to correct spelling, but it should be Zeuxine.
What about pronunciation? Is it zooks-EEN? zooks-ZIN-ee? ZOOKS-in-ee? zoo-ZEEN? ZOO-zin-ee?

Hardy, har, har.

How about I trade you jokers some Epipactis helleborine for those. The woods at a place I go camping is carpeted in them. I'm sure they wouldn't miss a few... hundred. :biggrin:

http://www.botany.wisc.edu/images/Or...tis_detail.jpg

Cheers.
Jim

---------- Post added at 01:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:34 PM ----------

The bulbil looks like an oak gall, the leave looks like an Echinodorus palaefolius, and it's a vine. What a strange plant....Hey it's edible too!

Man! How come you get all the cool invasives?? :rofl:

Cheers.
Jim

Deal. :)

I could get you some different ferns and such out of the woods here. I would love some helleborine! Awww who am I kidding, I would love some of whatever anyone has extra of.

You mean like Canadians?

BTW, don't eat the air potatoes. The wild ones are potentially toxic and supposedly taste like crap. My understanding is that even where they're cultivated, they're just survival food.

As for the Epipactis, I doubt they'd grow here (otherwise they'd already be here), but at least I can pronounce it!

I think you can grow Epipactis helleborine potted. Epipactis gigantea is rarely offered for sale as a potted plant here in CA. Just don't collect the ones growing in serpentine.

I think in certain states they may be a protected plant as well...

Don't know why if they knew this plant is an invasive that has naturalized.

Check first before collecting. Don't want anyone to potentially get busted over a plant, let alone one that isn't even native to the US.

I thought Zeuxine strateumatica was an invasive that was accidentally introduced from lawn grass coming from China...

I'd take a Zeuxine out of your hands if anyone has any to spare.

For collecting Zeuxine and Epipactis, I highly recommend removing when they are dormant.

Hmmmm. Monday is a MLK day. I wonder what the probability of getting caught digging Epipactis out of a State park on a holiday in the dead of winter is? Any statisticians out there?

Oh wait! What am I thinking? MLK day is a day of national service! Aren't I doing public service by removing an invasive species? :rofl:


Cheers.
Jim

Hmm, thought I had read that they are very commonly cultivated and eaten as staple. I do recall reading that they need to be boiled first to remove the bitterness.

One of these popped up in my parents' yard this past spring. I was so disappointed to find out it is an invasive. :(

You're actually probably better off collecting outside of a state park for not just the obvious reasons. ;)

The other reason would be you're less likely to run into those that grow in serpentine formations.

Yes you are, sir. Yes you are. :)

There's also the added bonus of growing an orchid you may enjoy as well. Always a plus.

I wish you good luck on your covert mission.

I don't need anyone to get in trouble for removing anything from a state park. No need to send me any.

This thread seems to be getting a little weird.
Just to be clear:
I believe that Dave, Jim and I are joking around about sending invasive plants to one another.
I believe that it is highly unethical to send a potentially invasive plant to someone who lives where it could grow and escape. Sending Eulophia to PA is perfectly OK; Zeuxine to CA, not so much (putting aside that Zeuxine is not classified as an 'invasive' exotic).
I do not believe that Jim is really planning on digging up Epipactis in a state park in the middle of winter, regardless of the odds of getting caught.
I do not believe that Paul should eat any air potatoes that come from Florida.
I believe that if you want to see orchids growing outside, you should take a walk and leave the plants where they are. You'll both be better off. :twocents:

Many varieties of the genus are, as are certain cultivated varieties of D. bulbifera. The ones that are weeds down here are not those varieties. Here's a citation:

... in areas of the plant‘s native range,tubers of several of the toxic varieties of D. bulbifera are made palatable and can be used as a food source in emergency situations (i.e., periods of drought and or famine). The process of detoxification is involved and time consuming and requires pounding the tubers with lime or sand and then slow-roasting or repeated boiling with wood ashes followed by steeping sliced pieces in running water.

Martin, F.W. 1974. Tropical Yams and Their Potential. Part 2. Dioscorea bulbifera, Agricultural Handbook 466 Edition. USDA. (Oddly, I actually have a copy of this book, which came in a box of old books donated to a charity sale. Needless to say, it didn't sell.)

Philip, forgive me if I'm misunderstanding your post, but it seems as if you may be mixing Epipactis gigantea , which is a NATIVE orchid of the western US and Epipactis helleborine, which is an introduced exotic (though not excessively invasive) in much of the eastern US (but also in parts of CA). As with all native orchids it is protected, although there are art-prop cultivars of E. gigantea that are are occassionaly available from reputable nurseries.

As I stated above, I think it would be a bad idea to send one to CA. Its an exotic for sure (the lawn grass story is anectdotal), but is not classified as an invasive. There are currently two orchids so classified in FL: Eulophia graminea and Oceoclades maculata. There are lots of exotics that are not particularly invasive - I saw a big staghorn fern high up in a tree in a hardwood hammock the other day!

I'm not a statistician, but I can pretty well guess your odds of finding one to dig up in the middle of winter. ;)

Whew, I'm tired.

Kudzu anyone? LOL

I'm fully aware that Epipactis gigantea is supposed to be native to CA, I've seen it growing wild in person before a few years ago (I believe it was around 2006/2007). Although, there is brief mention somewhere on the internet that it may not have been at one point in time, a very long time ago. Who knows. As of right now, all I know at the moment is that Epipactis gigatea is native to CA.

I make mention of Epipactis gigantea as a plant that has been grown in cultivation before (albeit not with any great popularity), therefore I made the connection that since Epipactis gigantea has been grown potted in cultivation before, so can Epipactis helleborine.

I didn't make connections between Epipactis gigantea and Epipactic helleborine based on where they were from.

I knew you guys were half joking. I knew this post had quite a bit of levity to it even before it was mentioned. I wasn't terribly serious either.

In fact, I do mention I'm not even 100% sure if Epipactis helleborine is really protected or not, particularly in the state of Vermont.

I was also under the impression that DelawareJim was jokingly talking about not going to a state park and searching for Epipactis helleborine. Edit: Re-read, yes, DelawareJim was jokingly talking about removing some from the state park...whatever, it's a joke. And my reply was a joke too.

I'm completely aware of the dangers of introducing orchids that may have the possibility of being invasive here in CA. One particular orchid I know would do excellent here and spread like wildfire would be Disa bracteata. That's because Disa bracteata is an invasive weed in Australia, and South Africa and Australia share a lot of similar habitats to Southern California. All 3 areas are considered semi-arid deserts that has a sandy loam type of soil. As cute as Disa bracteata is, I have no intention whatsoever in bringing this potential plant pest to SoCal.



Just for the record...

I wasn't flaming anyone or even waving the "no-no" finger at anyone either. Just making sure. :)

Ditto here.
Thank you for the clarification. I was not aware that there was a possibility that Epipactis gigantea might have been introduced to CA (I actually checked its status on CALFLORA before posting), so that was the source of my confusion.

Pretty accurate record of Epipactis gigantea. The colony I saw was actually from Santa Barbara County, not Los Angeles County.

I wouldn't doubt they'd be in LA County though, but not anywhere near the cities. They're most likely high up in the hills or in the mid-elevation mountain ranges.

The one I saw was growing next to a stream. Like the website says, it doesn't really matter what kind of forest it is, as long as it's cool and evenly moist, and there's a stream or river, they're most likely there in rather small numbers.