When most people think of an orchid, the vibrant and showy plants found in grocery stores and florist shops often come to mind. However, the orchid family is very diverse—varying from small to large flowers, epiphytic to terrestrial, and found in all regions of the world except Antarctica. There are roughly 27,800 currently recognized species in over 760 genera—a few thousand more than the known bee species in the world and about five times the number of world mammal species. Orchids’ dust-like seeds are enclosed in a capsule, mostly wind dispersed, and require specialized mycorrhizal fungi to germinate in the wild. In the early 1900s, researchers discovered that orchid seeds could be germinated in vitro using a sterile gelatin-like substance that has all the nutrients that the orchids need to grow. Once commercial production of orchids began, they became more readily available for the retail trade.

Orchids’ beauty, fragrance, economic importance, medicinal traits, and unlimited potential for hybridization lured many hobbyists and collectors to attain specific orchids at any cost—and often illegally. Overcollection in the wild and loss of habitat have led to a decline of orchids globally. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) evaluates the conservation status of plant and animal species, with the particular goal of identifying species at risk of extinction. The results are published in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, a critical indicator for the health of the world’s biodiversity. However, orchids are underrepresented on the IUCN Red List, and currently only six percent of orchids worldwide have been assessed. A notable group that has recently been evaluated are the slipper orchids, found in temperate regions of North America, Europe, and Asia. Slipper orchid flowers have a characteristic slipper-shaped lip and are extremely popular in the horticultural trade. The IUCN Red List assessment found that 79 percent of them are now threatened with extinction. Combine this with the fact that many orchids have low populations, distributed over small areas in developing countries, and you have a botanical crisis in the making.

To combat illegal trafficking, orchids are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) laws and cannot be traded internationally without CITES permits. The nearly 400 orchid species native to the US are also protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). It is illegal to pick plants or flowers in national parks and other federal lands. After CITES was enacted in 1975, the US government found that many plant species were being traded internationally in violation of this agreement, and in 1978 established the Plant Rescue Center (PRC) Program. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance became an official Plant Rescue Center in 1988, and we have rescued more than 10,000 confiscated plants over the last 33 years, with over 2,000 of them being orchids from almost 30 countries. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance also works with partners such as the Center for Plant Conservation in Escondido, Calif.; and the North American Orchid Conservation Center (NAOCC) to help save North American plant species.

A large portion of the confiscations we’ve received are slipper orchids from the genus Paphiopedilum. These are native to many regions in Asia, and are all Endangered or Critically Endangered. One confiscation of P. wardii came into our care in 1990—dehydrated and wrapped in newspaper. Our orchidist at the time, Janette Gerrity, successfully saved them from near death, and they are alive and well today and hold a large diversity of genetic material.

The San Diego Zoo orchid greenhouses continue to provide long-term homes for confiscated orchids. Horticulture staff actively propagate these species by division, hand-pollination, and micropropagation. We share these propagated orchids with other botanical institutions, thus safeguarding the species for the future and maintaining a DNA gene bank that may aid in future orchid conservation programs.

5 THINGS YOU CAN DO TO HELP

1. Purchase orchids of known nursery origin and avoid online purchases where the background of the plant is not listed.

2. Learn the 12 most commonly harvested wild plants and avoid products that use them.

3. Avoid purchasing foods thickened with salep powder, which is made of ground orchid tubers. These ice creams, puddings, and hot, milky drinks are particularly popular in the Middle East. In 2013 alone, between 7 and 11 million orchids were estimated to be illegally
harvested for this purpose.

4. Avoid shea butter and argan oil, which come from plants that are vulnerable to unsustainable trade.

5. Stay away from folk medicines and remedies that contain orchids.

Find out how you can take action against wildlife trafficking.