Question 1

True or false: Ghost orchids lack chlorophyll and are entirely dependent on fungi for energy.

Accepted Answer

False. Ghost orchids have green roots containing chlorophyll and can photosynthesize. They do form symbiotic relationships with fungi but are not fully dependent on them for energy.

Question 2

True or false: Ghost orchids are often found growing on the bark of cypress trees in flooded swamps.

Accepted Answer

False. They usually grow on pop ash or pond apple trees in wet forests, not cypress, though this is a common myth.

Question 3

True or false: The ghost orchid was first discovered in 1844.

Accepted Answer

True. The ghost orchid (Dendrophylax lindenii) was discovered in Cuba in 1844 by Belgian plant collector Jean Jules Linden.

Question 4

True or false: Ghost orchids are native to both Florida and Cuba, but nowhere else in the wild.

Accepted Answer

False. Ghost orchids (Dendrophylax lindenii) are also native to the Bahamas, not just Florida and Cuba. Their range includes these Caribbean islands, so the statement is false.

Question 5

True or false: The ghost orchid's bloom smells strongly of rotting meat to attract carrion flies.

Accepted Answer

False. Its scent is actually faint and sweet, not foul; it's pollinated by sphinx moths, not carrion insects.

Question 6

True or false: The ghost orchid Epipogium aphyllum can survive for years without producing leaves or roots.

Accepted Answer

True. Epipogium aphyllum is a mycoheterotrophic orchid that lacks chlorophyll and relies on fungi for nutrients. It often lives underground for years, producing only a brief flowering stem, and never forms leaves or true roots.

Question 7

True or false: The ghost orchid is pollinated by the giant sphinx moth.

Accepted Answer

True. The ghost orchid's long nectar spur requires a pollinator with an equally long proboscis; the giant sphinx moth is the only known insect that can reach it.

Question 8

True or false: One ghost orchid plant can produce over 1,000 seeds in a single seed capsule.

Accepted Answer

True. A single capsule holds hundreds of thousands of dust-like seeds, but few germinate due to their fungal dependence.

Ghost Orchid Trivia Questions