罕见幽灵兰花的5个迷人的特点

罕见幽灵兰花的5个迷人的特点

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.

幽灵兰花被如此命名有几个恰当的原因。它的白花有一种模糊的幽灵般的外观，它们似乎在森林中盘旋，这是由无叶植物造成的幻觉。这种影响也让稀有的兰花更难找到，尤其是在夏季开花的短暂而不可预测的窗口之外。

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，幽灵兰也有可能在另一个方面名不虚传。这是一种濒临灭绝的物种，只在古巴、巴哈马群岛和佛罗里达等地零星分布。它栖息在偏远的沼泽森林和树木繁茂的小岛上，但仍然面临着来自人类的一系列威胁，即偷猎、气候变化、传粉者的消失和栖息地的丧失。

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:

长期以来，这个物种一直吸引着那些有幸看到它的人，而我们仍在研究它的秘密——包括挑战我们对它的传粉者的认知的新研究。为了纪念幽灵兰花萦绕在人们心头的神秘，也为了纪念科学家们拯救它的努力，让我们来仔细看看这个独特的花卉幽灵:

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

它每年只开花一次，持续几周——或者根本不开花。

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.

幽灵兰花在6月到8月之间开花，通常每年只有一次，持续一到两周。或者，它可能只是让这一年变短。在某一年，只有10%的幽灵兰花会开花，而其中只有10%的兰花会授粉。

2. It has scales instead of leaves.

它有鳞而不是叶子。

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.

幽灵兰被称为“无叶”兰，因为它的叶子已经退化成鳞片，成熟的植物似乎没有叶子。它也有一个缩减的茎，这往往是很难看到，即使你在野外找到幽灵兰花。

3. It's mostly made of roots.

它主要由根构成。

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.

幽灵兰没有叶子和茎，而是由根组成，根生长在树皮上，不需要下面的土壤。这是因为幽兰是一种附生植物，这个术语指的是一种不生长在土壤里，而是生长在树上和其他类似寄生虫的寄主上的植物。与寄生虫不同的是，附生植物不会从寄主那里获取营养，也不会给寄主带来任何麻烦。它倾向于生长在活树的主干或大树枝上，通常离地几英尺，尽管它可以在树冠更高的地方生长。

4. Its roots act like leaves.

它的根就像树叶一样。

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.

幽灵兰可能没有叶子，但这并不意味着它已经放弃了光合作用。尽管它的根已经忙得不可开交——它们把兰花固定在树上，同时吸收水分和营养——它们也承担着这个角色。根含有光合作用所需的叶绿素，使得叶子变得多余。这些植物的根还长有一些小的白色标记，被称为“肺”，它能进行呼吸和光合作用所需的气体交换。

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

它的花看起来像漂浮在森林里。

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.

幽灵兰花生长的地方，绿油油的根与树皮融为一体，这让它们在不开花的时候伪装得很好，尤其是在光线昏暗的矮树丛里。在它们开花的短暂时间里，花长在从根向外延伸的细穗上。它的根就像一个木偶表演者，穿着与背景相配的衣服，把花悬挂起来，好像它在森林里自由地漂浮着。