Rare Nepalese Orchid is Being Threatened by Illegal Trading

Orchids are possibly the most trafficked flowers globally, both officially and illegally, due to their beauty, therapeutic properties, and food value.

As a result, locals are under pressure from collectors, deliberately or unknowingly, to steal these exquisite blooms from the wild for use as decorative flowers, medicine, or food.

This puts the world's second-most-popular flower, which has over 29,000 species, in jeopardy and can even lead to extinction. However, according to conservationists, some orchids may be saved from extinction if the legal orchid trade is elevated as a major conservation problem.

Buddhi Rai, a member of the indigenous Kirant tribe from Siktemba village in Panchthar District in eastern Nepal, brags about his orchid collection, which includes Cymbidiums primarily has accumulated over 40 years.

Buddhi told Global Voices, "In our language, we call them aamlabung. Our woodlands are home to a variety of orchid species. However, most of my collection comes from the Indian cities of Mirik, Darjeeling, and Kalimpong."

People like hybrid orchids because they are more durable and produce gorgeous flowers that linger for months. Beautiful orchids, he continued, grow on inaccessible limbs of ancient trees or cliffs and are difficult to gather.

For more news about rare plant species, don't forget to follow Nature World News!