Second only to the Asteracea family, the Orchidacea family has the most number of species in the world. This family can be recognized by its flowers which are bilaterally symmetrical (you can draw a line down the middle and the two sides look like mirror images of each other as in a butterfly), have three sepals (one usually modified), have three petals (the lower one modified into a lip with a hollow appendage), and have a one-chambered fruit capsule. Most orchids in the Pacific Northwest are very modest in size and color, but all share a wonderful scent.

In British Columbia, the Phantom Orchid is a very rare plant found only in the lower Fraser Valley and is on the red list, designating it as a species that is recommended for protection. Southwards in the Cascade and Olympic Mountains, it is an rare resident.

Growing to about 50 cm tall and in small clumps of 10 to 15 stems, its white blooms appear in mid to late June. Each stem holds 5 to 20 flowers. The only spot of color is a yellow spot inside the lip of the bottom petal. There are no leaves at the base as there are in some other orchids.

Phantom Orchids grow only in dark conifer forests where there is little undergrowth From afar, it appears ghostly as its white spikes rise out of the soil, hence its name.

The Phantom Orchid is a saprophyte which means that it has no chlorophyll to make its own food as most plants do. Instead, it gets food from fungus that attach its roots to nearby conifer roots. It is for this reason that they do not transplant well and must be protected where they grow.

Locally in Southwestern BC, they exist mostly in private ecological reserves with limited access and in a few public parks. Here, their location is kept secret to protect them from being picked during blooming and the soil being compacted by treading feet.

Like other members of the Orchid family, The Phantom Orchid is highly adapted to attract pollinators such as bees. It has spring traps, sticky parts and hair triggers attached to explosive shells of pollen to ensure it spreads its pollen around. When a bee lands on the lip, she pushes her way into the cup created by the divided bottom petal to get to the nectar. In doing so, she brushes by the trigger and bumps into the sticky discs attached to the pollen. The pollen bearing disc sticks to the bee's head and is carried to the next orchid blossom. Here, it is scraped off as she pushes past the trigger in the second flower. This action pollinates the second flower with the first flower's pollen. And on to the next orchid the bee goes with the new pollen attached to her head...

Should you discover this rare beauty in your travels throughout our woods, please note the date, exact location and other details and report it to the Conservation Data Center in B.C. They keep track of numbers and locations of protected and endangered species within the province of British Columbia.

We would also like to hear about your finds, so please report it to the Wildlife Watch.

by Donna Hill B.Sc. B.Ed. 1998