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Plants Threatened by Collection

While the main threat to plants is loss of habitat, commercial collection from the wild continues to decrease populations of some species to the point of endangerment. Although the commercial propagation of plants has increased dramatically in recent decades, national and international trade of wild plants continues, usually due to the difficulty of propagating certain species and to a lack of awareness on the part of consumers as to the origin—wild or propagated—of the plants they purchase.

The Signs of a Wild-Collected Plant

To avoid encouraging the commercial trade of wild-collected plants, gardeners are advised to pass up any specimen that shows one of the following signs:

  • Roots that have been compressed into a pot.
  • Soil in the pot that differs from that around the roots.
  • Leaves that are skewed and irregular.

Of course, the best way to ensure that the plants you purchase have not been dug up from the wild is to buy only from nurseries who advertise that they propagate the plants they sell.

Certain groups of plants are particularly threatened by collection from the wild. Since the earliest days of orchid cultivation it has been considered glamorous to grow plants collected from steamy jungles or vapor-shrouded mountain slopes. Today it is still possible to find wild-collected orchids for sale in the tropics, on the Internet, and even on the plant lists of reputable nurseries. For decades there has been concern about the effects of wild collection on populations of bulbs, including species of Galanthus, Cyclamen, and Sternbergia. The number of cacti and other succulents and carnivorous plants collected from the wild for sale has increased as their popularity has grown. The primeval beauty of cycads has made them vulnerable to illegal collection. And exquisite wildflowers, such as North American trilliums, are dug up from their habitats and sold in their native countries and abroad. The consumers of these wild plants are not only specialist collectors but also ordinary gardeners who take advantage of low-priced bulbs, wildflowers, and other plants.

To avoid encouraging the commercial trade of wild-collected plants, gardeners should be particularly cautious when purchasing the following:

To avoid purchasing a wild-collected plant, look for plant labels that say "nursery propagated" or "from cultivated stock." (Beware ambiguous wording such as "nursery grown," which may mean that a plant has been stolen from the wild, then grown in a nursery. If a plant's origin is unclear, question the vendor about its origins. When in doubt, do not buy. Even better, give your business to sources who actively work to conserve threatened plants.