罕見幽靈蘭花的5個迷人的特點(diǎn)

罕見幽靈蘭花的5個迷人的特點(diǎn)

The ghost orchid is aptly named for a few reasons. Its white flowers have a vaguely spectral appearance, and they seem to hover in the forest due to an illusion created by the leafless plant. This effect also makes the rare orchid even harder to find, especially outside the brief, unpredictable window when it blooms in summer.

幽靈蘭花被如此命名有幾個恰當(dāng)?shù)脑?。它的白花有一種模糊的幽靈般的外觀，它們似乎在森林中盤旋，這是由無葉植物造成的幻覺。這種影響也讓稀有的蘭花更難找到，尤其是在夏季開花的短暫而不可預(yù)測的窗口之外。

A 20-year-old ghost orchid blooms for only the second time at Florida's Fakahatchee Strand in 2016. (Photo: Rhona Wise/AFP/Getty Images)

Unfortunately, the ghost orchid is also at risk of living up to its name in another way. It's an endangered species, limited to scattered populations in Cuba, the Bahamas and Florida, where it exists in just three southwestern counties. It inhabits remote swamp forests and small wooded islands, yet still faces an array of threats from humans, namely poaching, climate change, loss of pollinators and loss of habitat.

不幸的是，幽靈蘭也有可能在另一個方面名不虛傳。這是一種瀕臨滅絕的物種，只在古巴、巴哈馬群島和佛羅里達(dá)等地零星分布。它棲息在偏遠(yuǎn)的沼澤森林和樹木繁茂的小島上，但仍然面臨著來自人類的一系列威脅，即偷獵、氣候變化、傳粉者的消失和棲息地的喪失。

The species has long enchanted anyone lucky enough to see it, and we're still learning its secrets — including new research that challenges what we thought we knew about its pollinators. In honor of the ghost orchid's haunting mystique, and of scientists' quest to save it, here's a closer look at this unique floral phantom:

長期以來，這個物種一直吸引著那些有幸看到它的人，而我們?nèi)栽谘芯克拿孛?mdash;—包括挑戰(zhàn)我們對它的傳粉者的認(rèn)知的新研究。為了紀(jì)念幽靈蘭花縈繞在人們心頭的神秘，也為了紀(jì)念科學(xué)家們拯救它的努力，讓我們來仔細(xì)看看這個獨(dú)特的花卉幽靈:

1. It only blooms once a year for a few weeks — or not at all.

它每年只開花一次，持續(xù)幾周——或者根本不開花。

Aside from their flowers, ghost orchids keep a low profile on their host tree. (Photo: Rhona Wise/AFP/Getty Images)

The ghost orchid (Dendrophylax lindenii) blooms between June and August, typically just once per year for a period of about one or two weeks. Or it might just take the year off. As few as 10% of ghost orchids may bloom in a given year, and of those, as few as 10% may be pollinated.

幽靈蘭花在6月到8月之間開花，通常每年只有一次，持續(xù)一到兩周?；蛘?，它可能只是讓這一年變短。在某一年，只有10%的幽靈蘭花會開花，而其中只有10%的蘭花會授粉。

2. It has scales instead of leaves.

它有鱗而不是葉子。

The ghost orchid is what's known as a "leafless" orchid, since its leaves have been reduced to scales and mature plants seem to lack foliage. It also has a reduced stem, which is often hard to see even if you somehow find a ghost orchid in the wild.

幽靈蘭被稱為“無葉”蘭，因?yàn)樗娜~子已經(jīng)退化成鱗片，成熟的植物似乎沒有葉子。它也有一個縮減的莖，這往往是很難看到，即使你在野外找到幽靈蘭花。

3. It's mostly made of roots.

它主要由根構(gòu)成。

The ghost orchid's roots inconspicuously anchor it to the bark of its host tree. (Photo: Rhona Wise/AFP/Getty Images)

In lieu of leaves and a stem, the ghost orchid plant consists mostly of roots, which grow on a tree's bark without need for the soil below. That's because the ghost orchid is an epiphyte, a term for plants that grow not in soil, but on trees and other hosts sort of like a parasite. Unlike parasites, epiphytes don't take nutrients from their hosts and don't necessarily cause any trouble for them. It tends to grow on the main trunk or large boughs of a living tree, often several feet off the ground, although it can be located much higher up in the canopy.

幽靈蘭沒有葉子和莖，而是由根組成，根生長在樹皮上，不需要下面的土壤。這是因?yàn)橛奶m是一種附生植物，這個術(shù)語指的是一種不生長在土壤里，而是生長在樹上和其他類似寄生蟲的寄主上的植物。與寄生蟲不同的是，附生植物不會從寄主那里獲取營養(yǎng)，也不會給寄主帶來任何麻煩。它傾向于生長在活樹的主干或大樹枝上，通常離地幾英尺，盡管它可以在樹冠更高的地方生長。

4. Its roots act like leaves.

它的根就像樹葉一樣。

The green roots of a ghost orchid perform most of its photosynthesis and respiration. (Photo: Doug Goldman, hosted by the USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database)

The ghost orchid may not have leaves to speak of, but that doesn't mean it has given up on photosynthesis. Although its roots already have their hands full — they anchor the orchid onto its tree, while also taking in water and nutrients — they fill this role, too. The roots contain the chlorophyll needed for photosynthesis, rendering leaves unnecessary. The roots also feature small white marks known as pneumatodes, which perform the gas exchange needed for respiration and photosynthesis.

幽靈蘭可能沒有葉子，但這并不意味著它已經(jīng)放棄了光合作用。盡管它的根已經(jīng)忙得不可開交——它們把蘭花固定在樹上，同時吸收水分和營養(yǎng)——它們也承擔(dān)著這個角色。根含有光合作用所需的葉綠素，使得葉子變得多余。這些植物的根還長有一些小的白色標(biāo)記，被稱為“肺”，它能進(jìn)行呼吸和光合作用所需的氣體交換。

5. Its flowers look like they're floating in the forest.

它的花看起來像漂浮在森林里。

An endangered ghost orchid blooms at the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge. (Photo: Josh O'Connor [CC BY 2.0, public domain]/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/Flickr)

The greenish roots blend in with the bark of trees where ghost orchids grow, making them well-camouflaged when they aren't blooming, especially in the dimly lit understory. During the brief window when they do bloom, the flower grows on a thin spike extending outward from the roots. The roots act like a puppeteer dressed to match the background, dangling the flower as if it's floating freely in the forest.

幽靈蘭花生長的地方，綠油油的根與樹皮融為一體，這讓它們在不開花的時候偽裝得很好，尤其是在光線昏暗的矮樹叢里。在它們開花的短暫時間里，花長在從根向外延伸的細(xì)穗上。它的根就像一個木偶表演者，穿著與背景相配的衣服，把花懸掛起來，好像它在森林里自由地漂浮著。