---
title: "Plant collecting"
chunk: 3/3
source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_collecting"
category: "reference"
tags: "science, encyclopedia"
date_saved: "2026-05-05T03:46:58.571386+00:00"
instance: "kb-cron"
---

Another Victorian craze known as Orchidelirium similarly led to a drastic decline of several species of orchids. The lady's slipper orchid Cypripedium calceolus was declared extinct in the UK in 1917 and later rediscovered in 1930 as a single wild plant in the Yorkshire Dales, the only remaining site in the UK for these plants. Once found, the plant was guarded 24 hours a day.

==== Summer lady's-tresses orchid ====
In 1956, the UK's last remaining plants of the Spiranthes aestivalis, summer lady's-tresses orchid, were stolen. The orchid is still classified as extinct in the UK.

=== Modern examples ===
Many botanical gardens have been the target of plant theft, given the nature of their collections, which often house rare and valuable plants.

==== Kew Royal Botanic Gardens (2014) ====
In 2014, Kew Royal Botanic Gardens saw the theft of one of twenty-four of their Nymphaea thermarum, the world's smallest water lily ever discovered. There are about 100 of these species left, which survive solely in botanical gardens, last seen in the wild in 2008.

==== Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden (2014) ====
In 2014 in two separate incidents, a total of twenty four cycads were taken from the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden in Cape Town, South Africa. Twenty-two of those twenty-four were Albany cycads, a species on the critically endangered list with only an estimate of 80 left in the wild. The total cost of the theft amounted to an estimated 700,000 rand, or just over $45,000.

==== Christchurch Botanic Gardens (2020) ====
In September 2020, Christchurch Botanic Gardens in New Zealand had a Monstera deliciosa 'Variegata' stolen from its orchid house.

==== San Diego Botanic Garden (2021) ====
In March 2021, San Diego Botanic Garden faced an incident of attempted plant theft when a woman was seen taking a clipping from one of the gardens' collections. When confronted, she returned the clipping, but left before authorities arrived. Garden staff members believed that she got away with other clippings as well. In an interview, the president and CEO of the gardens attributed an increase in theft to "the surge in houseplant interest, which is driving plant prices higher and leading to less ethical plant-sourcing behavior."

=== Local plant poaching ===
Plant theft is not solely limited to botanical gardens with rare collections. It extends to private property and local businesses. The practice of taking fallen plant leaves or clippings for the purpose of later propagating from those pieces is known as prop-lifting and is known to be discouraged or even unethical. The California Penal Code § 384a prohibits cutting of plants from both private and public property, stating "A person shall not willfully or negligently cut, destroy, mutilate, or remove plant material that is growing upon state or county highway rights-of-way" and "A person shall not willfully or negligently cut, destroy, mutilate, or remove plant material that is growing upon public land or upon land that is not his or hers without a written permit from the owner of the land, signed by the owner of the land or the owner's authorized agent, as provided in subdivision."

=== Misconceptions ===
In the United States, misconceptions around the scope of protection for certain plants are common in several states. In both California and Texas, for example, there is a prevalent but false belief that it is illegal to pick the state flower, the California poppy and the Texas bluebonnet. There are however other laws against trespass and destruction of state property, including a ban on the picking of flowers on federal, and, in California, state lands.

== Safety and precautions ==
While plant collecting may seem like a very safe and harmless practice, there is a few things collectors should keep in mind to protect themselves. First collectors should always be aware of the land where they are collecting. As in hiking there will be certain limitations to whether or not public access is granted on a plot of land and if collection from that land is allowed. For example, in a US national park, plant collection is not allowed unless given special permission. Collecting internationally will involve some logistics, such as official permits which will most likely be required to bring plants both from the country of collection and to the destination country. The major herbaria can be useful to the average hobbyist in aiding them in acquiring these permits.
If traveling to a remote location to access samples, it is safe practice to inform someone of your whereabouts and planned time of return. If traveling in hot weather, collectors should bring adequate water to avoid dehydration. Forms of sun protection such as sunscreen and wide brimmed hats may be essential depending on location. Travel to remote locations will most likely involve walking measurable distances in wild terrain, so precautions synonymous with those related to hiking should be taken.

== Terminology ==

Plant "discovery" means the first time that a new plant was recorded for science, often in the form of dried and pressed plants (a herbarium specimen) being sent to a botanical establishment such as Kew Gardens in London, where it would be examined, classified and named.
Plant "introduction" means the first time that living matter – seed, cuttings or a whole plant – was brought back to Europe. Thus, the handkerchief tree (Davidia involucrata) was discovered by Père David in 1869 but introduced to Britain by Ernest Wilson in 1901.
Often, the two happened simultaneously: thus Sir Joseph Hooker discovered and introduced his Himalayan rhododendrons between 1849 and 1851.

== See also ==
Botanical expedition
List of Irish plant collectors

== References ==

== External links ==
Collecting plant genetic diversity guidelines
Flora Quebeca