Iconic Florida plant proposed to be added to Endangered Species list
Rare ghost orchid via YouTube.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed listing the ghost orchid, considered to be Florida's most famous flower, under the Endangered Species Act.
The announcement came on Wednesday, more than three years after three environmental groups – the Center for Biological Diversity, The Institute for Regional Conservation and the National Parks Conservation Association— filed a petition requesting that the ghost orchid be listed under the law as a threatened species.
The ghost orchid is endemic to southwestern Florida and western Cuba. It is estimated that its population has declined by more than 90% around the world, and by up to 50% in Florida.
There are only an estimated 1,500 ghost orchids remaining in Florida, and less than half are known to be mature enough to reproduce. They are located mostly in the Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida Panther's National Wildlife Refuge, Fakahatchee Strand Preserve Park, Audubon's Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, and other conservation areas in Collier, Hendry, and possibly Lee counties.
Among the factors that have led to the flower decreasing in population are the consequences of poaching as well as recent major storms, such as Hurricane Irma in 2017 and Hurricane Ian in 2022, says Jaclyn Lopez, an attorney with the Jacobs Law Clinic for Democracy and the Environment at Stetson University's College of Law based in Pinellas County, who is representing the conservation groups.
Other factors that have led to the ghost orchid becoming more vulnerable include increased development and climate change. The ghost orchid is a leafless plant species that uses its roots to photosynthesize and attach itself to a host tree.
'The habitat changes that happen used to be quite slow over time. As sea levels have changed historically that allowed plants to move,' Lopez said. 'The difference now is that the levels are rising much more quickly, not really giving plants the opportunity to adapt and to migrate on their own, and so the concern is that some of these trees could be lost to sea level rise.'
In February 2023, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission posted on social media that it had apprehended individuals attempting to steal a ghost orchid. In their petition to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the conservation groups noted that one of the chief threats to the ghost orchid was 'overcollection,' and therefore they did not list the exact locations of where the populations of the flower exist.
However, Lopez says that the Endangered Species Act requires very specific data to be included in the petition process, so the conservation groups were still able to provide that information to the Fish and Wildlife Service confidentially.
'We understood that the principal threat is poaching, so we had to make sure that we weren't going to be the reason poachers could find out their exact location,' she said, adding that the federal agency was later able to communicate directly with officials at Big Cypress and Corkscrew to provide 'location specific information on the species' right down to the individual plant.
In a statement, Elise Bennett, the Florida and Caribbean director and attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, welcomed the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's announcement on the ghost orchid, but said it was far too early to celebrate.
'[W]ith the Trump administration's incessant attacks on landmark environmental laws meant to stop species from going extinct, we know our job here isn't done,' she said. 'We'll continue to do what's necessary to ensure the ghost orchid and every other iconic Florida species has a fighting chance to thrive in our beautiful state.'
'People love plants,' adds Lopez. 'They're part of our own ecosystem and habitat. They're part of the aesthetic of living in Florida. And ghost orchids in particular are like the movie star of that ecosystem, so I imagine that this proposal will be gladly supported. I don't expect any political interference or backlash as a result. so we're just hopeful that the administration is able to move forward without further delay in giving the species finally all the protection that it needs.'
The Fish and Wildlife Service is taking public comments on the proposed rule until August 4.
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