WHITE EPIDENDRUM 



Epidendrum nocturnum Jaquin 



In the deep cypress swamps of southern Florida the white epiden- 

 drum, known locally as bark orchid, is of frequent occurrence, al- 

 though sometimes it is perched so high upon the tree that it is 

 difficult to discover. The very minute seeds, carried by the breeze to 

 some branch, germinate and develop slowly, if the conditions are ex- 

 actly right, into tiny plants which require several years to reach ma- 

 turity. The plants cling tightly by their thick, fleshy roots to the 

 branches. The white flowers of this epidendrum, although not so 

 showy as those of some of its tropical relatives, are very beautiful, and 

 like the blossoms of most orchids, they last for a long time after they 

 have opened. Their fragrance, which is especially noticeable at night, 

 is attractive to moths, which feed on the nectar and unwittingly ac- 

 complish cross -pollination in carrying the pollen from flower to 

 flower. 



The dense hammocks of the lower Florida wilds bordering Coot 

 Bay and the ramifying channels leading to and from it in Monroe 

 County contain probably the finest development of epiphytic plants 

 in the United States. Here many species of orchids, bromeliads, and 

 ferns, in endless number, drape and festoon the branches to form a 

 veritable hanging garden. 



This specimen came from Coot Bay, Florida. The plant is rather 

 generally distributed in the West Indies and elsewhere in tropical 

 America. 



PLATE 337 



