Is it legal to pick wild orchid for sale in the US?
 

I saw there is a seller selling Cypripedium Parviflorum and Pubescens they picked from the wild on Exxxx. Is this even legal???

It depends on the State in which they were collected, or whether they were collected on Federal land. Cypripedium species are not listed on the US Endangered Species list.

In my State transporting any collected native wild plants is illegal without a permit. In some States this may not be the case.

Being it legal or not, buying them encourages the seller to pick other, more valuable, plants. Who knows what...

Legal or not, it's totally immoral to take orchids out of the wild. Without the mycorrhizae of their natural environment, their chance of survival is pretty much zero, even in the general area where they grow. There are nursery-grown Cypripediums available - if one were to get any, that's the way to acquire them - and have a chance of having them survive.

(Note: their chances in southern California, even the most tolerant nursery grown ones, are pretty much zero.... they need cold winters. Like tulips that also won't grow without that freeze. If you were thinking about it, don't,)

Poachers are scum and should be reported to the proper authority. Many states have laws that govern the sale and distribution of wild plants.

I was disturbed too to see the listing. The seller has 990 reviews (!). I sure hope they weren't all wild orchids!

Do you know what state the seller is in? If so, perhaps send an email to that state's Fish and Wildlife Department. Don't hold your breath, but perhaps they'll get caught.

I am not sure how to figure out the State. Here is the store:
***Website URL redacted by admin***

The account says they’re in Altamont, TN.
If you go into a listing and click the shipping information it will tell you where the items will ship from. No way to truly know if that’s their actual location but it’s the best you can do online.

TN. Are all those plants they list native there? They all look wild don't they?