# 2025-10191: Federal Protection Proposed for Florida’s Eerie Ghost Orchid

2025-10191, Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Endangered Species Status for Ghost Orchid, is a Federal Register proposed rule from Interior Department, Fish and Wildlife Service published 2025-06-05, effective We will accept comments received or postmarked on or before August 4, 2025.; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-29).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2025-10191
- As of: 2026-10-29
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Document number: 2025-10191
- Title: Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Endangered Species Status for Ghost Orchid
- Type: Proposed Rule
- Agencies: Interior Department; Fish and Wildlife Service
- Citation: 90 FR 23869
- Published: 2025-06-05
- Effective: We will accept comments received or postmarked on or before August 4, 2025.
- Comments close: not stated
- Significant: no
- Touches household money: yes
- Regulation identifier numbers: 1018-BI20
- Last updated: 2026-10-29

## In one line

Federal Protection Proposed for Florida’s Eerie Ghost Orchid

## Summary

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wants to officially protect the ghost orchid, a rare and magical-looking plant found in Florida and Cuba, by listing it as endangered. This means the orchid will get special care and protection under the law to help it survive. People can share their thoughts on this plan until August 4, 2025, and the government isn’t planning to set aside specific protected areas for it right now.

## Abstract

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), propose to list the ghost orchid (Dendrophylax lindenii), a flowering plant species found in the United States in southwestern Florida and in Cuba as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). This determination also serves as our 12-month finding on a petition to list the ghost orchid. After a review of the best scientific and commercial data available, we find that listing the species is warranted. Accordingly, we propose to list the ghost orchid as an endangered species under the Act. If we finalize this rule as proposed, it would add this species to the List of Endangered and Threatened Plants and extend the Act's protections to the species. We find that designating critical habitat for this species is not prudent.

## Effects PRIA read

- Federal proposal: Ghost orchid listed endangered: cost, low. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposes to list the ghost orchid (Dendrophylax lindenii) as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. If finalized, the species would be added to the List of Endangered and Threatened Plants and the Act's protections would be extended to the ghost o…
- No critical habitat will be designated: mixed, low. The Service found that designating critical habitat for the ghost orchid is "not prudent" and therefore is not proposing to designate critical habitat for this species. The agency concluded that designating critical habitat would likely increase the degree of threat to the species.
- State and international permits govern collection and trade: cost, low. Florida law requires written permission from the owner and a permit issued by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) to collect or remove plants listed as endangered on the Florida Regulated Plant Index (Chapter 5B-40). The rule also notes that all orchids, including th…

## Related documents

- [2026-14633](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-14633): Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Regulations Pertaining to Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants, 2026-07-21
- [2026-14629](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-14629): Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Regulations for Designating Critical Habitat, 2026-07-21
- [2026-14299](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-14299): Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Revised Designation of Critical Habitat for the Contiguous U.S. Distinct Population Segment…, 2026-07-16
- [2026-14195](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-14195): Rescinding the Definition of “Harm” Under the Endangered Species Act, 2026-07-14
- [2026-12955](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-12955): Process for Authorizing Seasonal Migratory Game Bird Hunting, 2026-06-26
- [2026-12951](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-12951): Process for Authorizing Seasonal Migratory Game Bird Hunting, 2026-06-26

## Sources
- [2025-10191 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/06/05/2025-10191/endangered-and-threatened-wildlife-and-plants-endangered-species-status-for-ghost-orchid)
- [2025-10191 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2025-06-05/pdf/2025-10191.pdf)

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- [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2025-10191 (as of 2026-10-29).