Ghost orchid  (Epipogium aphyllum)

This orchid has not been reliably recorded in Britain since 1986 (4). It is specially protected in Britain under Schedule 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981 (5).

As its common name suggests, the ghost orchid is a mysterious plant. It spends most of its life underground and has a tendency to disappear and suddenly reappear unexpectedly in an area (6). Furthermore, this orchid certainly does have a ghostly quality; it completely lacks chlorophyll, the green pigment found in most plants, and so has a pale, waxy appearance (6). The stem is translucent, slightly tinged with pink, and with many reddish streaks. Leaves are reduced to small scales at the base of the plant and higher up they take the form of one or two sheaths that fit snugly around the stem. One to four pale flowers are produced, which hang on fine stalks and are spotted with violet (2). This species has a long-lived underground storage organ known as a rhizome that is said to look like coral (3).

This native orchid has occurred sporadically in Britain since 1970, but unfortunately has not been reliably recorded since 1986 (4). It has been found, typically singly, in Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Herefordshire, and Shropshire. Its global range extends from north and central Europe south to the Pyrenees, the north of Greece and Crimea. It also occurs in Siberia, the Caucasus and Himalaya (2).

You can view distribution information for this species at the National Biodiversity Network Gateway.

Typically found growing in beech (Fagus), or more rarely, oak (Quercus) woodlands in deep leaf-litter or on rotten stumps (3) where there is very little or no ground flora (4).

The ghost orchid is saprophytic, which means it obtains nutrients from dead organic matter. It lacks the green pigment chlorophyll as it does not photosynthesize. The underground rhizomes can live for a very long time, but they do not produce stems every year (4). The flowers are pollinated by various bumblebees and other insects (2), but seed is very rarely produced (4).

The threats facing this species are unclear. Habitat loss is a known problem; the last recorded site for this species has since been planted with conifers (4).

Should this ‘lost’ species reappear in the wild, conservation measures will swing into action. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew are involved in the conservation of this and many other native orchids, and have established ex-situ propagation techniques, with the hope of successfully reintroducing the mysterious ghost orchid to its old haunts (7).

There may be further information about this species available via the National Biodiversity Network Gateway.

For more on The Royal Botanic Gardens see
www.kew.org