Endangered African Orchids because they are FOOD!!

[CodiMN]

Tindo, Are the africans working to re-cultivate these orchids as a viable, renewable resource?

[R Srinivasan]

Originally Posted by CodiMN

Tindo, Are the africans working to re-cultivate these orchids as a viable, renewable resource?

Thank goodness, the predatory big cat population of Africa still protects vast tracks of such endangered plants in their habitat. When time is opportune, these may bounce back like the bald eagles of U.S.

[Tricho]

Hi

We had that tradition in Europe as well, perhaps with different end products. Now it is prohibited!

In turkey they have a similar culture.

Salep - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I do not think it is serious if it can be contained in the local population, the problem is when it becomes a profitable market, without rules. Unfortunately, it seems to be the case in Africa.

[Dorothy]

Tindo - you need to get out of the 'city'!
Man surely accelerates the natural cycle of development and extinction of wild species. Of the 36 species of wild orchid on Long Island, only 28 have survived. It is unfortunate that our open spaces are being swallowed up by land developers. There are many here that are fighting against the urban spread and have halted it for now. But eventually, politics seems to win out

[Tindomul]

Originally Posted by CodiMN

Tindo, Are the africans working to re-cultivate these orchids as a viable, renewable resource?

No...as far as I remember they were being gathered from the wild. No agriculture here.

[weng]

Here's an interesting read on page 24
http://www.orchidconservation.org/os...t/OCN04-En.pdf

We should applaud the Tanzanian government's protection of these orchids on the Kitulo Plateau.

Weng

[Tindomul]

Fantastic read! Thanks for the link!

[Mike O'C]

I only joined the group long after the original posting, but here in South Africa orchid tubers are not used for food but for muti (traditional medicines). You can go to the muti markets and see orchids for sale to be used as muti. Ansellia africana is a favourite (know in Zulu as imfe nkawu or the sugarcane of the monkeys because the canes resemble sugarcane and it grows in trees where monkeys gather) as well as Eulophias and Polystachyas. Some Disa tubers are also used but they are hard to recognise as such when lying dried out in a bundle. Some of the mutis are used as charms to ward off evil. One that always raises a laugh when mentioned at a meeting is Habenaria dives which is known as the death orchid because the Zulu name means it dies before the grass and it is used to poison (not sure if it works - my wife will not let me growin case!) a person who will die before the grass like the orchid.

[Tindomul]

Wow, great info. Thanks for sharing that with us Mike. Im sure that there are more uses for orchids under the sun than we can imagine in all the continents of the world. One can only hope the orchids are protected efficiently before they are all wiped out.