!Polyradicion lindenii [Lindley]Garay 1969 Photo courtesy of Jay Pfahl

Flower ensitu Faxcahatchee Strand Florida Photo courtesy of Stephen Jones.

to EARLY to

Common Name Palm Polly, White Frog Orchid, White Butterfly Orchid or The Ghost Orchid - Linden's Polyradicion [Belgian Plant Collector 1800's]

Flower Size to almost 5" [3 to 4cm across by 7 to 9cm long]

This small sized, south Florida, Bahamas, and Cuba, hot to cool growing species is found in deep swamp forest, thickets and coasta; brushlands. The orchid pictured is in the Fakahatchee strand in the northern Everglades. Good hunting Stephen! They are small leafless epiphytes and their roots have chloroplasts to create the chlorophyl that the plant needs to survive, this function is normally taken care of by the leaves which in this genus are missing and it blooms on a spreading arcuate, 2 1/2 to 9" [6 to 22cm] long inflorescence with scarious bracts and fragrant, 1 to 10 successively opening flowers all arising from the center of the stem that occurs in the early summer in the US and the fall in Cuba. This is a rare and rarely seen plant that is not offered often for the cultivator of orchids.

Synonyms Aeranthes lindenii (Lindl.) Rchb. f. 1864; Aeranthus lindenii [Lindley]Rchb.f. ?; *Angraecum lindenii Lindley 1846; Dendrophylax lindenii [Lindl.]Bth. ex Rolfe 1888; Polyrrhiza lindenii [Lindley]Cogn. 1910

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; The Orchids of Cuba Llamacho & Larramendi 2005 as Dendrophylax lindenii; Orchidaceae Antillanae Nir 2000 as Dendrophylax lindenii

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