"Jungle Collected"?

[V-W]

I just saw - an orchid listed for sale in the US and described as "jungle collected".

Is this even legal anymore? To me purchasing a collected species is a turn off, I'd rather support local growers and protect natural habitat. Does anyone feel differently? Am I being a snob here?

[Ron-NY]

It isn't legal to import jungle collected orchids but wild orchids, prior to CITES, are in many collections. A division of one of them would still be considered jungle collected and legal for sale.

[V-W]

What would the difference be then between "jungle collected" and "wild"? I've been using them interchangably.

I'm sure importing happens frequently but this particular seller used it is a main selling point which didn't really do it for me. Not what I would consider a "rare" species but a Maxillaria tenuifolia.

[Ron-NY]

I don't know if you have ever seen an orchid out in the jungle but they don't look like greenhouse kept plants. Insect damage, ect

[coeruleo]

yeah, i was questioning the 'wild' aspect too, the plants are in pretty darn good condition to have been collected from the wild. cool selection though, lots of epis i've never heard of.

but about buying wild orchids... who knows these days? at the rate we're clearing the jungles, it would be nice if some of those wild orchids were saved, and not just burned. i would not advocate destroying nature, but one could carefully take a division form a wild plant without killing or causing lasting damage. in all things, consideration should be involved. i think the real problem is that some orchids were gathered so much they are now endangered in the wild. you cannot hunt something to extinction to show your love for it.

[Ron-NY]

I had gone on a collecting trip, in Peru, with a Peruvian grower. He had permits to collect. One day we climbed a hill in a cloud forest. It was difficult to move without disturbing an orchid. Everything was covered in moss and orchids. Phrags, Stellis, Masdevallia, Pleuros, ect

[bechinolina]

in the description of paph canhii you could read that selling jungle plants should be allowed if the habitat is in danger...because unfortunatly destrying the habitat is the major issue for orchids (and so many species). but not so many people can grow collected plants and too many plants are collected just to finish in the trash.

[Ron-NY]

I do believe that lands that are going to be cleared, they should allow collection. I saw too many slash and burn areas during that trip to Peru.

[catttan]

I have collected a few orchids in my time but have always collected just a few from a very small area for myself and few serious growers. I have also visited the same area a few years later and discovered that the colonies (niveum) had reestablished themselves. Serious damage can only occur if an area is used for large scale development and uncontrolled logging. If logging is allowed in an area, then collecting of the orchids from the cut trees should be encouraged so that these will at least find a home.

[maggs]

Well there are orchids on the coastline of this country I saw them on trees when I went to the beach over the holiday weekend, they bare a very tiny white orchid and then in land as I was travelling I have seen them on some mango trees, but I do not know if we have laws that prohibit collecting and I do not believe that many people here know about them either else we probably would not have, I have a small piece of branch with some on it hanging among my collection, and there are a few others too that if you know about orchids a little bit you can look out for in the trees, but mostly people buy imported ones at about (50-60us) which happened to see today and I think that price is crazy so I will look around to see if I get any cheaper maybe about half of that price which is about (150TT)dollars