Found in mulch

[BruceP]

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.

Originally Posted by Paul

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.

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.)

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

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.

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.

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

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.

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!

Originally Posted by DelawareJim

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?

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.