Orchid Fever: A Horticultural Tale of Love, Lust, and Lunacy

Orchid Fever by Eric Hansen describes the story of a writer who is fascinated by the absurd lengths people go to in order to study and conserve orchids. Hansen travels the world to speak with the most avid orchid growers to hear their stories and the troubles they go through to follow their passions of growing and saving orchids. He conveniently drops details of each orchid grower while engrossing the reader in the tale he is telling. In addition, he reveals the difficulties of conserving orchids and bringing them across borders to prevent them from being uprooted and killed and going extinct.This novel had a lot of positive aspects and a few negative aspects that make it one of a kind. Some of my favorite parts include the stories of the passionate orchid growers who dedicate their lives toward orchid growing. For instance, toward the end of the story, Hansen describes the life of an 88-year old man whose final goal is to write a book about Thai Orchids before he dies. Another interesting aspect was learning about the brutality shown by the CITES officers. For instance, when they barge into Henry Azadehdel’s home and not only take away hundreds of orchids but also steal jewelry and several additional valuables. It is important that Hansen reveals these stories to provide the truth and uncover the missing details of the public understanding of orchid trade. One negative aspect of the book that was not as entertaining was the actual details of the CITES information. I know that it was important to put in all of that information, but I found myself slowing my reading when reaching those aspects of the novel. If Hansen wrote these parts in a more captivating way, it would have been more enjoyable to read.Ultimately, I would highly recommend reading this tale, as Hansen does an amazing job with detailing the absurd interests of several orchid fanatics in this world. He captures the beauty of the orchid world as well as the shortcomings and tries his best to convey the story in a manner that allows both botany lovers and others to see his point of view. It is almost contagious to want to continue hearing the bizarre stories he has to share. It is a must read for anyone interested in exploring a new world and gaining a new appreciation for the orchid flower.

I don't raise orchids. In general, I don't bother raising flowers. So, why read this? I'm interested in conservation of wild things...and a long time ago, one summer I took up wild flower photography with a 4x5 view camera. Yeah, just for the summer...or maybe it was 2 summers. That camera, and its expensive lenses, have long since been sold. So, what flowers did I use it on? Whatever was local. But of course, sooner or later you will start to wonder about anything rare and showy. Most wild flowers are not that showy, but orchids are a different story. Where I live they are very rare. So, of course, I wanted pictures. And then I found out about a place with some of those showy orchids Hansen mentions in the last chapter of this book. I went on a week long camping trip to the general location...found the showy orchids, made some connections, and then found a different patch of white showy orchids. The rare alba form of Cypripedium reginae. Wow. Made a great subject for the view camera...not that I knew what I was doing with the camera or how rare the white orchids were. That happened about a decade before the events of the last chapter in Hansen's book. I hadn't thought about it much since then, but this book brought those memories of that trip back to me. I will add that I did not collect anything but pictures on my trip. Like I said...I'm not a flower grower.As for the book....loved it. But I did find the information on CITES enforcement to be dismaying. I guess it's pretty much always the case that power goes to the head of whoever wields it. That the people in charge of CITES are more interested in aggrandizing their power than in protecting the wild plants of the world is sad, but not surprising. That there are other people willing to do whatever is necessary to protect wild plants is, however, gratifying.

The book Orchid Fever provides an endearing, thought-provoking, and engaging take on the orchid industry. Author Eric Hansen provides not only engaging content in the form of brief anecdotes every chapter, but also cleverly ties in important biological concepts that allow readers to not only see the zany lengths that orchid collectors will go to attain the valuable flowers, but also learn informative concepts related to plant biology such as the pollinating strategies employed by various orchids, the horticulture industry, and overall flower structures. As I read the novel, I found myself immersed in Hansen’s profound story-telling ability, where many of the real-life stories detailed in the novel seemed too outlandish to be true. His ability to connect both plant biology with world culture and custom is also another highlight to the novel, where his focus on orchid popularity is not just restricted to the United States but extends to all corners of the world from Venezuela to Turkey to Norway. Hansen himself evens adds a level of self-reflection to the novel as he details his own growing ‘orchid fever’ as he gathers information from the various individuals he meets on his journey to understand how orchids have become such a big commodity. Overall, the non-fiction novel serves as a nice, easily delightful exploration into orchid culture that readers from all backgrounds can enjoy and appreciate!

An Excellent book on the subject. Recomended.

This was a fascinating read...and a scathing indictment the policies behind orchid 'conservation.' There are individuals mentioned in the book working in well-known botanical research institutions which come across as hypocritical, arrogant, self-serving and self-aggrandizing liars. Apparently these same are unwilling to refute the evidence presented by the author. How these people are not currently serving time behind bars is a mystery, as is how the institutions mentioned continue to employ these people.