The fascinating orchid: Yesterday and today
In the world of plants, orchids have a history more sensational than others. People made dangerous voyages to far-off lands in sail boats to look for orchids and procure them when possible. Orchid hunters fought with the natives, sometimes other orchid hunters, at times were killed by others or became casualties of natural forces. But they did not give up. Such was the obsession with orchids.
Orchidelirium or orchid mania in the 19th century England was no less a craze than the tulip mania in 17th century Holland. Even today, orchid enthusiasts make long and difficult journeys just to see orchids in their natural habitats. Orchids are even celebrated in novels. The rare ghost orchid is the subject of Susan Orlean's The Orchid Thief, a book that served as the source materials of the Academy Award-winning movie Adaptation. To the best of my knowledge, no novel has ever been written or a movie made whose central theme was a flower, except perhaps the Black Tulip, which was based on a book with the same name written by Alexandre Dumas.
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Orchid enthusiasm in the modern era began in England in the early 19th century, when British naturalist William John Swainson sent a bunch of orchid tubers from Brazil which he had used as weeds to package other plant specimens. But to everybody's utter surprise, these tubers grew and blossomed with beautiful flowers unknown to everyone at the time. This was also an era when colonialism was at its peak, providing colonial powers rights to the natural resources of their colonies to which they had easy and exclusive access. Queen Victoria appointed Frederick Sander as the official Royal Orchid Grower. This proves that even the royalty supported the plundering of the natural resources of their colonies which included their plants.
In England, it became the craze to grow tropical orchids in the greenhouses of the upper classes. Orchid hunters and poachers were hired and sent from England to countries as far away as Indonesia. In her book The Orchid Thief, Susan Orleans indicated that in 1901, eight orchid hunters went on an expedition to the Philippines. Within a month, one of them had been eaten by a tiger, another had been drenched with oil and burnt alive, five had vanished into thin air, and only one had managed to stay alive. The lone survivor of this dangerous mission ended with a huge haul of Phalaenopsis, also known as moth orchids, and probably made a huge fortune through his looted plants.
In order to stop illegal international trade of wildlife, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), became effective in July 1975. CITES is a global agreement among governments to regulate or ban international trade in threatened flora and fauna. Unfortunately, CITES could not stop some orchid sellers and enthusiasts from collecting the native orchids from the wild and endangering their future.
Hired orchid hunters shipped millions of orchids back to England. But the delicate orchids could not withstand the saline environment of the sea voyage for so long, and most would perish. In fact, it is estimated that less than one percent of the plant cargo would reach the destination alive. As a result of this plundering, and uprooting from their natural habitat, some orchid species became extinct. While some orchid hunters undoubtedly cared about the beauty of nature, the uniqueness of orchids, and scientific advancement, most were after material profits and personal fame.
It is absolutely true that the magnificent orchids have always been a source of fascination and intrigue for plant lovers since their discovery (they are found everywhere except in Antarctica). But prices and the challenges of cultivation had kept orchids largely in the domain of the elite classes and out of the reach of the middle class. This changed dramatically when hybridisation became common around the mid-20th century. The hybridisation of orchids decreased the prices substantially, and middle-class enthusiasts had the opportunity to buy and grow these beautiful flowers in their homes.
Though the nurseries and even the supermarkets are flooded with hybrid orchids at very accessible prices today, the native orchids remain the objects of expedition and subject of research among orchid growers. The mystery around orchids, their unique habitat, sensual growth habit and rarity intrigued and challenged orchid lovers. In some cases, owning and growing rare orchids in the personal greenhouses became an obsession. Consequently, rare species still remain prized and pricey.
In order to stop illegal international trade of wildlife, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), became effective in July 1975. CITES is a global agreement among governments to regulate or ban international trade in threatened flora and fauna. Unfortunately, CITES could not stop some orchid sellers and enthusiasts from collecting the native orchids from the wild and endangering their future.
In developed countries, native orchids are protected by appropriate laws and can be sold only by the government designated nurseries. But uprooting the native orchids is a regular event in the developing countries where these plants are not adequately protected by the relevant authorities. Bangladesh is no exception in this regard. Currently, Bangladesh has approximately 150 or so orchid species that naturally grow in the wild. According to research published some three years ago, in the International Journal of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, 32 orchid species native to Bangladesh have become unavailable within its borders. In addition, some orchids are listed as endangered species and if not protected, there is a chance they may become extinct in the near future. There are two main reasons for this situation. First is rampant deforestation. Most orchids grow on bigger trees and simply cannot survive when the host trees are cut down. Second, there is widespread poaching of native and rare orchids.
Our native orchids are amazingly beautiful and they thrive in their natural habitat, where they get adequate sunlight, rain, and air. It is very difficult to grow orchid species in the artificial environment at home and there is a strong possibility that these orchid species would eventually perish. The sooner we understand that uprooting our orchids from their natural habitat is a direct threat to their future existence, the better it is for our native orchids.
We need awareness among people and stricter laws to avoid these dire consequences and save our native plants. We often discuss climate change, carbon emissions, air and water pollution. But we must not forget that it is our foremost duty to protect and save our natural resources, our animals and, most importantly, our forests and native plants. This is a collective responsibility that we must all share, and to which citizens and policymakers must be fully committed.
Hasina Ahmad is a retired administrator of a US university and a member of the American Orchid Society.
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