Day 270: Cephalanthera austiniae is only known from one location in Mount Rainier National Park. Since the Park's establishment in 1899, it has been observed by a mere handful of people, almost all of whom belong to Team Biota. Yesterday, we did an extensive inventory and came up with a census of eleven stems. Because of the nature of this unique plant's growth pattern, we estimate that that census represents no more than five plants. Why is Phantom Orchid so rare? There are a number of factors. First of all, it is an obligate mycoheterotroph, i.e., lacking chlorophyll, it cannot photosynthesize and relies on soil mycorrhizae to provide its nutrition. Second, it depends on specific mycorrhizal species (or perhaps just one). Third, those mycorrhizae only grow where a certain type of decaying vegetative matter is present. Cephalanthera may also depend on the presence of certain species of vascular plants (what we call its "associated" plants) and I believe it may also require a specific soil regime and/or that it tolerates only a narrow range of soil pH. These factors all come together in a tiny, secret pocket of forest at Mount Rainier, a spot where the only sounds are the trickling of a thready stream and the voices of Team Biota saying, "Four...five...I've got another one over here."
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