Endangered African Orchids because they are FOOD!!

[Tindomul]

I found an interesting, however relatively old news article on the net which talks about how terrestrial orchids in Africa are endangered. They are close to extinction becuase of illegal trade, but this time the trade is for human consumption! Apparently these orchids have tubers, like potatoes, and are very much in demand by the public. I guess they must be tasty.
Since all orchids are protected under CITES, the trade of these orchids is illegal but continues between Tanzania and Zambia. The tubers are boiled and eaten as a delicasy called "chikanda" or "kinaka". This delicasy may be endangering 85 species or orchids with trade estimated to be 2.2 million tubers per year.
I got all this info from the following website, please visit to learn some more. Thanks, hope you all enjoyed this one.

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?art...82809EC588ED9F

Here is another similar article at the WCS website.
http://www.wcs.org/353624/194458

[ospylac]

Hey tin, thanks for the lead,
how sad for the orchids, and the folks who don't have lot of culinary options. Botanical Poaching?

[weng]

In the interest of the OrchidBoard community, I've actually eaten the stuff! I enjoyed it as much as anyone else who had a cold, raw peppered steak served up for breakfast But I struggled through my portion religiously.

But therein lies the reason for its appeal to the Zambians. Most of them are very poor and cannot afford to eat meat. So Chikanda was eaten as a cheap meat substitute. Unfortunately, the trend has caught on, and both, the rich and poor enjoy the stuff.

Viewed in context, these orchids are just some of the tubers that the people in Africa dig up in the true tradition of the hunter-gatherer.

Weng

[Marco]

Thanks for the article tin. Poor orchids

[Ross]

I have mixed reactions to this. There are orchids that have no commercial value other than esthetics and there are those (vanila, for one) that have commercial value. In this case the plant has food value. What if I joined an anti-pototoe league based upon my belief that the potatoe was endangered? Just wondering?

[R Srinivasan]

Not only ground orchid tubers but also that ceropegias(asclepediaecae) geophytic euphorbias are eaten in many part of tropical areas of India. This is certainly not because of food shortage but they constitute seasonal delicasies like mushrooms and bamboo shoots in rainy season. I haseen huge swathes of ground orchids in the slopes of hills that you cannot wak=lk without trampling scores of them. Like octopus eggs these gound orchids brees in porgious manner. No fears, god has been generous when throwing manna to the ground for men to feast ungrdgingly.

[puddin]

That's sad. We are losing more and more plants and animals because of humans. Then you get to read about them, and never have any hope of seeing them alive. Hate it when that happens.

[Ross]

Originally Posted by puddin

That's sad. We are losing more and more plants and animals because of humans. Then you get to read about them, and never have any hope of seeing them alive. Hate it when that happens.

True, and there are many plants and animals that exist ONLY in captivity (thanks to that, to be sure). Habitats are changing both for the negative and positive daily (depends on your point of view). For instance, the Sharp-Tailed Grouse, which inhabits very large openings, such as when large scaled clear-cutting of forests has occured, dwindles and leaves the picture as areas are re-forested. There are always trade-offs when it comes to ecosystems and the plants and animals that typically occupy these ecosystems.

[Tindomul]

I forsee a world of Cement and concrete, inhabited only by pigeons, squirrels, roaches, people, grass and maple trees.

[Ross]

Originally Posted by Tindomul1of9

I forsee a world of Cement and concrete, inhabited only by pigeons, squirrels, roaches, people, grass and maple trees

But only Norway Maple trees They are the evil twins of Dendros except they just keep sending out billions of seeds (twice a year)! And let's not forget the grackels (blackbirds).