I tend to have a more liberal attitude towards (and considerable experience with) wild collection of plants than most. If a plant is collected on private property with permission of the property owner for personal enjoyment I have no issue with the collection. If the plant enters commerce or is collected on public property of some sort things get murky depending upon local laws. But one thing is certain. You should know what the plant is before you collect it. Without that crucial information you really have no idea of the overall impact of collecting the plant. And the other thing is to be responsible in collecting. For example was the plant common in the area you found it? Was it unique in some way? Was it a lone specimen? Even if something is legal doesn't make it right. And responsible collection involves giving back. I have a beautiful high pink specimen of our native Claytonia virginica which I collected on private property 8 years ago. I took a few small offsets from the mother plant (which is still there and getting bigger every year) and grew them out. I've since planted offsets in several locations including state parks where all can enjoy them.
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