Orchid Hunting, the history and now...

[Dr. Dave 4u]

For any orchid newbies like myself, I just wanted to share some more interesting info I came across upon reading further on the orchid hobby's history!

This helps me appreciate how easy it is to just order exotic orchids off the internet while sitting comfortably in*one's home and then get them in the mail...without ever having to MOUNT AN EXPEDITION TO FAR OFF DANGEROUS LANDS!!

"Orchids brought back to Europe, The stunning, frail, exotic-looking flowers were a wonder to behold. At first, folks just wanted to view these spectacular flowers. Then they wanted to own them. "

"The orchid craze was taking root. Soon it would blossom into full-fledged orchidelirium. "

"Collecting and displaying orchids was the pastime of the well-to-do, elite class."
"Many Orchid Hunters Died in Pursuit of the Flower.Many other orchid hunters across the world perished from injuries or diseases or were killed by rival hunters or native tribes. "

"Orchid Collecting TodayAlthough orchidelirium has died out and orchids are more easily obtained, plant lovers still enjoy collecting the exotic flowers."

"Hunting and collecting orchids in the wild is now illegal, having been banned by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which was put into place in 1973. But that hasn’t stopped all orchid hunting. Orchid hunting and orchid smuggling still go on today, to the detriment of the plant. Scientists point to orchid smuggling as one of the largest contributing factors to the extinction of some orchid species."

Excerpts quoted from an article by Karen Harris

[Roberta]

If you want a very delightful read, consider Orchid Tales by Harold Koopowitz .Orchid Tales on Amazon
Dr. Koopowitz is a retired professor of Evolutionary Biology, has done extensive breeding of Paphiopedilums and done much work on the taxonomy of orchids, Paphs especially... His wild imagination has taken bits of orchid history and spun them into delightful stories... but then he also explains the facts behind his tales so it's an orchid education as well.

[Ray]

Ms. Harris is incorrect:

Hunting and collecting orchids in the wild is now illegal, having been banned by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which was put into place in 1973.

CITES does not ban the collection of orchids in the wild. That is done via regional laws. CITES merely discourages wild collecting since it is meant to ban international trade in them.

[Orchidtinkerer]

what I find fascinating is that in Japan at some point a few hundred years ago their wind orchids were so prized some rare varieties could cost more than a house!

[Dr. Dave 4u]

I believe there are also some very old bonsai's passed down through generations also highly prized and priced!!

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by Orchidtinkerer

what I find fascinating is that in Japan at some point a few hundred years ago their wind orchids were so prized some rare varieties could cost more than a house!

Neofinetia (Vanda) falcata...Some still do. While there are many very nice ones for sale that us ordinary folks can afford and enjoy, there's a rarefied tier of them that if you have to ask "How much" you can't afford it. Up to the level of "priceless".

[Fuerte Rav]

I believe it was the same for tulip bulbs in the early 1600s. Every plant/flower has it's day it seems!

[Roberta]

One factor that eventually sank tulip mania was when some of the ones with interesting patterns didn't thrive long term. Turns out that the color break patterns that were so popular were the result of virus... which sapped the vitality of the affected plants. (In modern times, hybridizers have managed to breed variegated tulip flowers that are healthy along with lots of other colors and patterns that would have blown those from the 1600s out of the water, of course)