Family: Orchidaceae
Group: Monocot
Substrate:
Epiphyte
Habit:
Herb
Perennation:
Perennial
Native Range: South Florida and Cuba.
Map of select IRC data for peninsular Florida
NatureServe Global Status:
Critically Imperiled
State of Florida Status:
Endangered
Florida Natural Areas Inventory State Status:
Critically Imperiled
IRC SOUTH FLORIDA Status:
Critically Imperiled
SOUTH FLORIDA Occurrence:
Present
SOUTH FLORIDA Native Status:
Native
South Florida History and Distribution: This iconic orchid is known from ten protected and tribal areas in South Florida. Not all are listed below due to security concerns. Ranked as imperiled in Rare Plants of South Florida (Gann et al. 2002) as
Polyradicion lindenii, this was reranked as critically imperiled using updated NatureServe criteria in 2022. In June 2025, it was proposed for listing as endangered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
SOUTH FLORIDA Cultivated Status:
Cultivated
Comments: Reports of ghost orchid in Everglades National Park are based on plants unsuccessfully transplanted to Chekika Hammock (Gann 2015) and first reported in 1982. Ghost orchid is not native to Miami-Dade County or Everglades National Park.
Synonyms: Polyradicion lindenii, Polyrrhiza lindenii.
