Rare Orchids

What is a rare orchid? What makes an orchid rare? These are tough questions and there are as many different answers as there are people asking the question. What is rare today can be extinct or in abundance tomorrow. The definition of a rare orchid is as elusive as the subject.


Rare orchids that occur in a limited geographic area can disappear overnight. A fire or a bulldozer can put an end to many of our wild orchid populations, completely eliminating a species in mere minutes.

Taking the Rare out of Rare Orchids

When a rare orchid is placed in the hands of a good grower and hybridizer abundance is frequently (but not always) just around the corner.

Usually a good hybridizer not only erases rare from the plants name but can also produce easier to grow plants with better quality flowers. These two traits are not always wanted in populations grown to expand or replace wild populations. But us hobbyists love this part.

A very beneficial side effect of the hybridizer improving the flower quality of a species is that it reduces the demand for the wild version of the species. Most hobbyists will want the better-looking flower from the hybridizer thus easing the demand for the wild species. A good example of this situation has occurred with the species Phragmipedium besseae.

There are some orchids that have such specialized requirements it can take years of research and experimenting to find success. And unfortunately we are still looking for success with some species as the wild populations continue to disappear. Will we win the race and promulgate the species?

Government Conservation of Rare Orchids

Many countries are attempting to control their wild orchid populations today. The main method of control is restricting trade. This can only help a little if there is demand for a species. And it does nothing to help protect wild orchid populations from development. Only a handful of countries are addressing the issue of protecting orchids from the effects of development.

While CITES can help control the commercial exploitation of wild orchid populations it can also cause massive losses of endangered orchids. How? Sometimes when a dam or major building project will cause the destruction of a group of endangered orchids, the orchids are allowed to parish because of the fear the someone might take advantage if the restrictions are temporally lifted and collect plants from a non-threatened area.

This is a real but short-sited fear that must be overcome if rational conservation of the wild orchid species is to be practiced.  As individuals, a man’s greed can cause massive destruction. But at the same time government’s strange methods of trying to protect can and does cause the same massive destruction. A balance must be struck if there is to be any true long-term conservation program.

Conservation of Rare Orchids – As an Individual

What can I do?” You say, “I am just one person out of billons, my lone efforts can’t accomplish much.” Not true. A few simple things that you can do are, don’t collect or buy wild orchids. Patronize growers that are breeding populations of rare orchids. Give them a reward for their efforts and an incentive to continue.

Harold Koopowitz in his book Tropical Slipper Orchids uses a few pages to look at CITES from a Paphiopedilum growers perspective. Harold is an excellent writer and gives a fascinating look into the strange ways government entities enforce (or ignore) CITES. You can learn more about Harold’s book on the Paphiopedilum Care page or you can read other reviews at Amazon. (Opens in a new window).

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