Close-up of flowers of more of this "bog orchid" in Lake Yaxha, Peten, Guatemala.
When you visit Parque Nacional Yaxha Nakum Naranjo you will see “wild orchids everywhere.” Having worked at Yaxha mapping the ruins with archaeologist Miguel Orrego and team, over a 5-year project of FLAAR research and educational institute (1970-1974), I know that most of the orchids are up in the trees.
From my research on orchids worldwide I also am aware that there are terrestrial orchids (we have them wild on our Hellmuth family farm in the Missouri Ozarks). And a few orchids in other parts of the world spend much of their life “underground.” In other words, there are “orchids in most eco-systems except the frozen Antarctica and in the sand dunes of the Middle East.”
But are their “aquatic orchids?” Do some orchids “grow on water?”
I raise this question since while courtesy of the IDAEH-CONAP boat of the park, on 31 October this year (2018), I noticed dark-pink lavender flowers among the reeds out in the water a few meters from the shore. When I saw a second patch I asked the boat captain to stop so I could see what plant was floating along with the mass of roots of the reeds that are in many areas along the north shore.
One of the park rangers (Teco, Moises Daniel Pérez Díaz, who accompanied us) said that these were indeed orchids and that he had seen them before. The leaves are comparable size and shape to hundreds of other orchid species (all of which grow high up on trees).
But back in camp, everyone told us the logical answer: “maybe these have just fallen on top of the reeds because the branches of large trees stretch out several meters over the lake shore area?” Plus dozens of trees (whose branches often have orchids) along the shore fall into the lake every year because the soil is only a few centimeters deep (below is limestone, since this is an area of karst geology). So every rainstorm lots of trees fall over. Their branches are covered with bromeliads, orchids, arboreal cacti, and parasitic vines (with beautiful flowers).
But the orchids that I found are NOT fallen from tree trunks or tree limbs. These orchids are at water level. In November we even found lots of freshly germinated young orchid plants, just a few millimeters high (since there are mature flowering orchids of this water-related species every several meters along the north shore of Lake Yaxha).
Now that we found this “aquatic orchid” we learn from our research that the jargon is “bog orchid” or “swamp orchid,” although in this case at Yaxha it is not a swamp and not a bog: it is near (but not over) the shore area of the lake. However you could consider the first two or three meters a kind of swamp-like ecosystem because of all the roots and fallen reeds that create their own ecosystem on which these orchids are very happy.
Since no one believed that “water orchids” existed, we returned to Yaxha in late November and learned a lot more. These are indeed water related. Obviously they don’t float on the surface independently like water lily pads: instead the orchids grow from the base of reeds whose root mass floats on the surface. In some cases the lake is 5 meters deep underneath the reed 20 cm deep reed root mass (and decayed fallen reeds); in other cases I could wade out and only have my body 2 to 4 feet deep in the water (to study the position of the roots in and above the water level you need to stand in front of them at eye level).
We (FLAAR Mesoamerica) go to Yaxha at least one week every month all year: so we hope to see you there. We will be looking for additional species of “aquatic orchids” since there are indeed seasonal swamps in other areas of the park.
We now have a list of all water-related orchids found in other lakes in Peten and adjacent Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche, Quintana Roo and are making a list of water-associated orchids of Belize. We estimate that there may be several of these species in Parque Nacional Yaxha Nakum Naranjo (all the more reason to visit Lake Yaxha and Rio Ixtinto next to Topoxte Island).
If you are like to study orchids, if you like to experience something in nature you have never in your life seen or heard of before, then come to visit Parque Nacional Yaxha Nakum Naranjo. Hotel Ecolodge El Sombrero is where we stay and Gabriella, the owner, knows plants, animals, and archaeology since she has been in the Yaxha area for many decades.
There is one additional genus of orchids which also float over the surface on aquatic material. This other genus of water-related orchids is list for most lakes, rivers, and aquatic areas around the El Peten area of Guatemala: in order words, it is only a matter of time before we can find a second, and maybe a third, water-related orchid.
So if you like to experience orchids out in the wild, far from a greenhouse, if you or your company or association or a foundation where you know board members could provide funding for our field trips, then we can return to Lake Yaxha find all the other water-related and also the terrestrial orchids on the shore adjacent to the lake and associated Rio Ixtinto. Plus you and your family or friends can join us on a field trip to Parque Nacional Yaxha Nakum Naranjo.
Updated Dec. 5, 2018,
first edition posted Nov 2, 2018
