Hello folks,
I was thinking/researching a few things and came up with a fantastic idea. The idea is relatively simple and obviously involves a Dendrophylax lindenii, hence the title of this thread. I have made a list of potential candidates (surprisingly Jumellea made the short list) in this tribe for cross breeding and will now explain why it is a good idea to breed the leafless habit out of the species. (not knowing if this is actually possible [or legal] beyond theory)
with the increasing number of large invasive snakes skulking around in the everglades it is only a matter of time before the 2000+ wild ghost orchids in our state becomes 1000 or less. I am not thinking these plants will survive the 'high traffic' of the new species and so in order to survive it will have to shorten its lifecycle and increase its own vigor or create very strong roots, unless it is easier for the plant to just start making large not-early deciduous leaves again. otherwise it will just get rarer and rarer....and since I am not able to methylate unmethylated genes or do whatever to manipulate the species into working with only its own chromosomes, the only thing left is the classic way. By crossing and backcrossing to a different Dendrophylax landrace lindleyii or by mixing the F1 generation and accepting a 20ish percent of statistically significant genetic preservation in offspring (the amount above 75% of preservation). Choosing within the same tribe will help increase that preservation, achieved basically by accomplishing a successful pod and selecting for flower shape.
I have no idea if the leafless habit is dominant or connected to a series of other expressions that have to line up just right, or even what other Angraecums live in the west indies that have leaves and bloom in the late spring, but the idea of giving the species a real chance to survive climate change and snakes seems like it'd be worth a try.
I'm thinking that's almost enough reasons, but then consider...
About the evolution of this particular species within the tribe, I can see how with all of its irregular care it seems as if it is evolving to become sort of a semi-mycotroph or lichentroph or whatever (you get my meaning). And like the far rarer Australian Rhizanthella gardneri there is something so highly specialized about this Dendrophylax that it threatens its own existence, and so comes the idea to intercede and breed a stronger plant.
Anyone seeing this is good? bad? not worth the effort? boring? crazy? an interesting way of accessing the ideas of evolution and the appreciation of orchids as a veneration of nature? please feel free to add a discussion
a horribly ambitious and terribly long project
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