Kew Gardens: Endangered orchid species flowers in UK first

A species of endangered orchid has flowered in the UK for the first time.

Dendrophylax lindenii, known as the Florida Ghost Orchid in the US and Cuba, has blossomed at the Royal Botanic Gardens, in Kew, south-west London.

It was flown into the UK from Chicago two weeks ago, with the bud displayed at Chelsea Flower Show.

Prof Mike Fay, senior research leader at RBG Kew, called the UK flowering a "positive conservation story".

While awaiting Thursday's bloom, he said: "This is a wonderful example of a successful collaborative conservation project, with several universities and botanic gardens in the USA working together for the greater good, highlighting the importance of orchid conservation around the world."

There are only about 1,500 ghost orchid plants left in south Florida and 500 in Cuba, Professor Fay said.

After being included in the famous flower show, the orchid was donated to Kew Gardens, where it is on display in a terrarium in the Princess of Wales Conservatory.

It was germinated at the University of Florida in 2014, before it was donated to Chicago Botanic Garden.

Prof Fay said that orchids acted as a barometer for biodiversity loss and were often the first species to disappear when an ecosystem suffers.

"When a link in the chain breaks, orchids become endangered," he said.

Dendrophylax lindenii is recorded as "endangered" on IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

The population drastically declined when its host trees, 1,000-year-old bald cypresses, were logged in World War Two to provide lumber for aircraft carrier decks.

Kew Gardens has one of the oldest collections of living tropical orchids in the world, as well as more than 400,000 preserved specimens.

Each year it hosts an Orchid Festival in the Princess of Wales Conservatory.

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