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A Buyer's Guide to Bulbs: What Gardeners Can Do to Protect Threatened Species
by Christopher S. Robbins
Most of us perceive gardening as an environmentally benign, even beneficial pastime. Little do we suspect that bulbs purchased locally and subsequently planted in a backyard bed may have been harvested from unmanaged and possibly fragile wild populations thousands of miles away. When bulbs, corms, rhizomes, and other plant parts are collected from wild spaces in exotic places to supply ornamental, floral, and medicinal markets, sensitive species and entire ecosystems may be put at risk. Whether bulbs were gathered from the wild or propagated in a nursery may not be obvious at first glance, but rules on labeling have made it easier to find out. Gardeners can have a positive influence on bulb conservation by asking appropriate questions and making responsible purchasing decisions.
U.S. Government guidelines, established by the Federal Trade Commission, advise the nursery industry against selling plants collected from wild sources without disclosing this fact to consumers. Vendors should not use the term nursery-grown when selling plant material of wild origin. However, nurseries may label plants descended from those lawfully collected from wild populations as nursery-propagated. Similarly, bulbs sold by the Netherlands, the largest bulb producer and exporter, to the United States or any other country must bear a label that identifies them as either "Bulbs from wild source" or "Bulbs grown from cultivated stock." This clarification is important because it ensures that wild-harvested bulbs that are shipped to the Netherlands and subsequently exported from there are clearly and accurately labeled.
Consumers can also take comfort in knowing that many species at risk from international trade are regulated by more than 150 countries (including the United States and Canada) belonging to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. CITES is the primary mechanism to directly regulate trade in flora and fauna at the international level. Depending on the level of endangerment from international trade or other threats, plant and animal species are listed in one of three appendices (I, II, III). Species listed in Appendix I are threatened with extinction and may not be commercially traded unless they are nursery-propagated, which qualifies them for Appendix II. The majority of plant species regulated by CITES are listed in Appendix II, under which plants can be commercially traded provided government approval and export permits are granted. Three bulb genera are currently listed in CITES Appendix II: Cyclamen, Galanthus, and Sternbergia. In Appendix III, individual countries unilaterally decide to list native species that are exported and for which they seek greater domestic protection. For more information on CITES and species listed in its appendices, check out the CITES home page.
When faced with ambiguous labeling, do not hesitate to ask retailers to clarify the origin of bulbs and give preference to bulbs known to have been nursery-propagated or collected from carefully managed wild stock.
Christopher S. Robbins is a senior program officer at TRAFFIC North America of World Wildlife Fund-US who specializes in plant trade and conservation.