Ghost Orchid (Lat: Epipogium aphyllum), a plant species mostly found in the canopy of broadleaf forests such as beech and Oak, is very rare and attracts all attention if seen - which in this aspect has an almost unique feature. (It should not be confused with another "ghost orchid" called Dendrophylax lindenii.)
Indeed, this plant is a genus that will not end up counting interesting aspects. So much so that even a plant is quite difficult to say, because, like other plants, it has adopted a Myco-heterotrophic way of life, rather than being an autotrophic being that produces its own food through the process of photosynthesis. This means that the trees and mycorrhiza fungi in the forested areas are already in a food exchange based on mutual assistance. Trees supply the mineral substances they need, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, from fungi, while fungi also supply the sugar that the tree produces by photosynthesis from the tree. Ghost Orchids, on the other hand, take advantage of this mutualistic relationship, stealing sugar and other nutrients from hyphae (filamentous fungal structure) in mycorrhizal networks with the help of their roots, creating a parasitic lifestyle. But naturally, the plant-fungal symbiosis does not have such sustainability. Therefore, it has a rather irregular and random life.
Another interesting aspect is that because it does not obtain its food through photosynthesis and therefore does not carry chlorophyll pigment, it has a white appearance that gives it the right to its name, rather than the green color that we are used to in plants. This species of orchid, which does not naturally have leaves either, has flowers that are tilted downwards, located on an erect stem that reaches only 20-30 centimeters. Nectar is produced in its flowers, as in the flowers of other plants, and has an odor similar to that of vanilla.
However, its reproduction also contains a distinct obscurity, as it has not been fully observed how it reproduces until this time. But scientists believe that instead of birds, smaller creatures, for example, are mostly pollinated by insects. Because its seeds are too small to feed a bird. It is also thought to benefit from superficial water flow - which has the potential to explain why it is often distributed around water edges.
Apart from these, perhaps the strangest part, and the most important reason why it is so rarely observed, is that it spends most of its life underground as a rhizome, i.e. rhizome. After all, they do not have to photosynthesize because other living things steal their food to meet the need for food, and therefore they do not need leaf production definitively. Because of this feature, the part located underground has evolved to act as a kind of warehouse. In this way, he can continue his life in the years when he does not produce stems and flowers to breed, which can sometimes remain underground for years. Apparently, it forms the aboveground part, that is, its trunk and flower, only to breed and continue its generation. From this point of view, we can say that the evolutionary adaptations it has are very interesting.
October May and October bloom each year under favorable ecological conditions, although it is not known when it "fully" performs flowering, and only shows itself on the ground for a few weeks. Based on this information, we now understand better why he was nicknamed "The Ghost" among the public. If we want to see this"ghost plant", we need to be constantly in the forest in the right place and at the right time, and of course have a great chance at the same time. Therefore, scientific studies about him are also tried to be done due to the observational difficulties he harbors, but by using limited data from the past.
Rarest Plant in the UK
But the biggest threat awaiting the ghost orchid is ecological changes. The biggest of them, as predicted, is climate change. How such a rare and sensitive plant species can survive the huge ecological changes that climate change will create is, like itself, quite unknown. In addition, deforestation and destruction of broadleaf forests, which occur along with an increasing population, are also very critical factors that affect how much it can be seen in the future.