The ‘Holy Grail’ ghost orchid has been rediscovered in the UK for the first time since 2009

Britain’s rarest plant, the “Holy Grail” orchid, has been rediscovered for the first time since 2009, and scientists are now working to protect it from snails, deer and predators.

The ghost orchid was discovered earlier this month by Richard Pate, a dental surgeon, orchid lover and member of the Botanical Society of Great Britain and Ireland (BSPI).

Its location in England is now kept a secret and its sensitive underground parts are protected from being trampled by enthusiasts flocking to see it, or its flowers plucked by a poacher. Pat spent 30 years searching deep, dark forests in hopes of catching a glimpse of this rare flower.

Prof. Ian Denholm, one of two BSPI National Orchid Expert judges, said: “[The] The ghost orchid has long been the holy grail of British botanists. There were a small number of records in the 1960s and 1970s, and I was lucky enough to see a specimen in the mid-1980s, when only six people in the wild in Britain had carefully observed it. Her reappearance is fantastic news, let’s hope it happens again.

The flower was discovered in Herefordshire, Britain in 1854, named for its later bright white color. Experts declared her extinct in 2009 after a 22-year absence, but the orchid tested negative a week later until this month, when she was missing.

Dr Kevin Walker, Head of Science at BSBI, said: “This is an extraordinary find by Richard and a fitting reward for his many years of painstaking searching. Anyone who has tried and failed to find this enigmatic plant will know how skilled and lucky you have to be to find them. They are hidden in leaf litter. Incredibly difficult to spot and only last a few hours or days, they are eagerly hunted by all manner of creatures from snails to deer.

Found only in deep forests, the orchid has no leaves or chlorophyll, so it cannot photosynthesize. Since it feeds on nutrients from underground fungi and does not require photosynthetic light, it lives mainly in the soil, flowering only in the right conditions. In England it prefers dark beech or oak forests, but elsewhere in Europe it is found under pine trees.

Pate said: “Knowing that the ghost orchid is still here and not extinct in Britain fills me with hope for the future of this species. This discovery reminds us that, even in the darkest of forests, there is always hope.

Ghost orchid sightings in Britain

• Herefordshire and Shropshire: bloomed in just five years between 1854 and 1910, followed by a 72-year gap until 1982, and then a 27-year gap until last seen in 2009.

• Oxfordshire: Discovered by a schoolgirl in 1924, the ghost orchid bloomed for about a dozen years between 1924 and 1979.

• Buckinghamshire: First discovered in 1953, the ghost orchid bloomed for 25 years between 1953 and 1987.