Govenia floridana P.M.Br. (2000:233)
Florida govenia, Gowen’s orchid
Taxonomy & Nomenclature
Conservation Status
Missing (Gann, 2015:7) or Extinct (Gann et al., 2001-2023 fide Possley et al., 2024; Knapp et al., 2021; Albani Rocchetti et al., 2022; Svahnström, 2022; Christenhusz & Govaerts, 2025; NatureServe, 2026)
Last record (disputed): 22 November 1964 (Gann et al., 2002:146; Gann, 2015 [as 1964]; Knapp et al., 2021 [as 1964]; Svahnström, 2022 [as 1964]; NatureServe, 2026 [as 1964]); 1965 (Christenhusz & Govaerts, 2025)
IUCN RedList status: Extinct
Distribution & Habitat
Long Pine Key, Everglades National Park, Florida, USA
Biology & Ecology
Hypodigm
Media
References
Original scientific description:
Brown, Paul Martin. (2000). Govenia floridana (Orchidaceae), a new species endemic to southern Florida, U.S.A. North American Native Orchid Journal 6(3): 230-240, 247.
Other references:
Albani Rocchetti, Giulia, Carta, Angelino, Mondoni, Andrea, Godefroid, Sandrine, Davis, Charles C., Caneva, Giulia, Albrecht, Matthew A., Alvarado, Karla, Bijmoer, Roxali, Borosova, Renata, Bräuchler, Christian, Breman, Elinor, Briggs, Marie, Buord, Stephane, Cave, Lynette H., Da Silva, Nílber Gonçalves, Davey, Alexandra H., Davies, Rachael M., Dickie, John B., Fabillo, Melodina, Fleischmann, Andreas, Franks, Andrew, Hall, Geoffrey, Kantvilas, Gintaras, Klak, Cornelia, Liu, Udayangani, Medina, Leopoldo, Reinhammar, Lars Gunnar, Sebola, Ramagwai J., Schönberger, Ines, Sweeney, Patrick, Voglmayr, Hermann, White, Adam, Wieringa, Jan J., Zippel, Elke Zippel and Abeli, Thomas. (2022). Selecting the best candidates for resurrecting extinct-in-the-wild plants from herbaria. Nature Plants 8: 1385-1393. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-022-01296-7 [Supplementary Tables S1-S6]
Brown, Paul Martin. (2002). Wild Orchids of Florida. University Press of Florida. Gainesville, FL. xvii + 408 pp.
Christenhusz, Maarten J. M. and Govaerts, Rafaël. (2025). Plant extinction in the Anthropocene. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 207(3): 183-196. https://doi.org/10.1093/botlinnean/boae045 [Appendix S1]
Fisher, Diana O. and Humphreys, Aelys M. (2024). Evidence for modern extinction in plants and animals. Biological Conservation 298: 110772. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110772
Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). (2002). Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 26. Magnoliophyta: Liliidae: Liliales and Orchidales. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxvi + 723 pp.
Gann, G. D. (2015). Vascular Plant Species of Management Concern in Everglades National Park. The Institute for Regional Conservation, Delray Beach. [pp. 91-93]
Gann, George D., Bradley, Keith A. and Woodmansee, Steven W. (2002). Rare Plants of South Florida: Their History, Conservation, and Restoration. Miami, Florida: The Institute for Regional Conservation. xiv + 1056 pp.
Gann, G. D., Hines, K. N., Saha, S. and Bradley, K. A. (2009). Rare plant monitoring and restoration on Long Pine Key, Everglades National Park: Final Report, Year 5. Final report sumitted to Everglades National Park, Homestead, Florida by The Institute for Regional Conservation.
Gann, George D., Trotta, L. B., and Collaborators. (2001-2023). Floristic Inventory of South Florida Database [web application]. The Institute for Regional Conservation. Delray Beach, FL, U.S.A. Available at: www.regionalconservation.org/ircs/database/Database.asp [Accessed by Possley et al., 2024 in May 2023]
Gann, George D., Trotta, L. B., and Collaborators. (2001-2025). Govenia floridana P.M. Br.: Florida govenia, Tropical govenia. In: Floristic Inventory of South Florida Database Online. The Institute for Regional Conservation. Delray Beach, Florida. Available at: https://www.regionalconservation.org/ircs/database/database.asp [Accessed 21 August 2026]
Govaerts, R. (2004). World Checklist of Monocotyledons Database in ACCESS: 1-54382. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Greenwood, E. W. (1991). The Florida Govenia. American Orchid Society Bulletin 69: 867-869.
Greenwood, E. W. (2002). Govenia. In: Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. 1993+, Flora of North America North of Mexico. 19+ vols. New York and Oxford. Vol. 26, pp. 638-639.
Knapp, Wesley M., Frances, Anne, Noss, Reed, Naczi, Robert F. C., Weakley, Alan, Gann, George D., Baldwin, Bruce G., Miller, James, McIntyre, Patrick, Mishler, Brent D., Moore, Gerry, Olmstead, Richard G., Strong, Anna, Kennedy, Kathryn, Heidel, Bonnie and Gluesenkamp, Daniel. (2021). Vascular plant extinction in the continental United States and Canada. Conservation Biology 35(1): 360-368. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.13621 [Supporting Information (Appendix S1)]
Loope, L. L. and Avery, G. N. (1979). A Preliminary Report on Rare Plant Species in the Flora of National Park Service Areas of South Florida. US National Park Service, South Florida Research Center, Everglades National Park.
Luer, C. A. (1972). The native orchids of Florida. New York Botanical Garden, New York.
Mortellaro, S., M. Barry, M., Gann, G., Zahina, J., Channon, S., Hilsenbeck, C., Scofield, D., Wilder, G. and Wilhelm, G. (2012). Coefficients of conservatism values and the Floristic Quality Index for the vascular plants of South Florida. Southeastern Naturalist 11(3): 1-62.
NatureServe. (2026). Govenia floridana: Florida govenia. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data accessed through NatureServe Explorer [web application]. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. Available at: https://explorer.natureserve.org/ [Accessed on 22 August 2026]
Possley, J., Lange, J. J., Franck, A. R., Gann, G. D., Wilson, T., Kolterman, S., Duquesnel, J., and J. O’Brien. (2024). First US vascular plant extirpation linked to sea level rise? Pilosocereus millspaughii (Cactaceae) in the Florida Keys, USA. Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas 18(1): 211-223. https://doi.org/10.17348/jbrit.v18.i1.1350
POWO. (2024). Plants of the World Online (online resource). Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, United Kingdom. Available at: https://powo.science.kew.org/ [Accessed 18 August 2024]
Svahnström, V. (2022). Govenia floridana. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022: e.T216881863A216881879. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-2.RLTS.T216881863A216881879.en. Accessed on 27 October 2024.
Thompson, C. J., Koshkina, V., Burgman, M. A., Butchart, S. H. M. and Stone, L. (2017). Inferring extinctions II: an iterative model based on records and surveys. Biological Conservation 214: 328-335.
Wunderland, R. P. and Hansen, B. F. (2003). Guide to the vascular plants of Florida, second edition. Gainesville, FL: University Press of Florida.
Wunderlin, R. P. and Hansen, B. F. (2011). Guide to the Vascular Plants of Florida, Third Edition. Tampa, FL: University Press of Florida. 800 pp.