Bringing Back Miami’s Native Orchids
Palm Beach Daily News reports that a local botanical garden is bringing native orchids back to Miami. Thanks to efforts by Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, young plants will be attached to trees in Miami’s roadways, public spaces, and schoolyards. Both the Florida Butterfly Orchid, Encyclia tampensis, and the Cowhorn Orchid, Cyrtopodium punctatum, once covered oak and mahogany trees in the region, but now are rare. To reintroduce the species, Fairchild is following guidelines created by the world-renowned Singapore Botanic Gardens. Fairchild is helping local students to raise the orchid seedlings, and to conduct scientific research, too. After two more years, they’ll attach the young plants to nearby trees. They won’t see any flowers for at least four years. With some hard work and good luck, Miami’s native orchids will return.
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November 21st, 2013 at 5:12 am
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