ghost orchid

"Time and time again, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has missed these deadlines for species. They have an incredible backlog of decisions to make, not just for the ghost orchid, and we're really concerned about that," said Elise Bennett with the Center for Biological Diversity.

Rampant poaching of the ghost orchid has it in serious peril, and estimates of their numbers in the wild range from 750 to 1,500.

The “ghost orchid” is the largest one ever discovered, and its blossoms draw international attention among the uber-enthusiastic world of orchid lovers.

The diplomatic thaw with Cuba has led to a new collaboration with scientists in that country to study the ghost orchid, one of the world's rarest flowers,…