The popularity of succulents has surged in recent years. This new interest in the plant collecting hobby has grown the size of the community hundredfold. However, this has caused increased demand for rare species, in particular caudiciform (caudex) plants and dwarf succulents. In cases where registered nurseries are unable to meet the demand, some unscrupulous individuals have turned to the natural world as their supplier. These individuals illegally harvest plants from their native environments and offer them for sale. This mostly, but not always, happens online, on social media or via private messaging apps. This makes it difficult for authorities to clamp down on this unethical practice. In this article, using Harry’s knowledge of plants and experience in nature conservation, we will go into detail on how to avoid buying illegally harvested succulents.
Understanding succulent poaching
Poaching is the illegal removal of a plant from its natural habitat to be utilized for the horticultural trade. In the past, a handful of overzealous international collectors personally visited South Africa to remove plants. This pattern has now shifted and has become increasingly similar to the abalone and rhino poaching crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic is almost certainly what drove this change. The South African economy was in sharp decline, and international travel was difficult or impossible. This made unscrupulous overseas buyers approach impoverished locals to source the plants for them.
Consequently, poachers are now stripping plants from their habitats on a commercial scale, driving entire populations to local or complete extinction overnight. The most sought-after varieties are then shipped overseas, mostly to Asian countries, the United States, or Europe. Generally, targeted plants are slow-growing species that take many years, some even decades, to produce their most desirable traits and features. This means that unethical growers will poach the plants to obtain them quickly, so that they can sell them for a hefty fee.
Unfortunately, these plants do not remain confined to illegal black market sales. Specimens have found their way into local nurseries, or to private sellers online. This makes it possible that you may from time-to-time find illegally harvested succulents available for purchase. So how do you know which plants to avoid?
Signs of an illegally harvested succulent
Appearance of the plant
A plant may show several physical signs if it has originated from nature. The first and most obvious indicator is that it appears weathered. In other words, it has accumulated damage from natural causes over many years, mainly from the sun, herbivores, or insects. Cultivated plants, which grow in near-perfect conditions, do not show this. Reputable nurseries do not sell plants with sunburnt stems or leaves damaged by herbivores and insects.
Additionally, poached plants often show signs of rough handling. Poachers use shovels or other tools to remove them from nature, leaving deep cuts and scars. If poachers transported the plants out of the veld in a bag, they may have grazes or bruises. Dirt or stains is often also a sign of a poached plant.
The next sign is not always immediately obvious. People will have roughly removed these plants from the ground without taking care to handle their roots and stems appropriately. The root systems of poached plants may be far smaller, or they may have no roots at all. The roots will also have muddy brown soil attached, which is not something you will see in soil mediums that most nurseries use.
Also, some poached plants may have been grown in cultivation to improve their appearance before being sold. You may notice that there is a section of the plant where a change in growth occurs. This shift from weathered to ‘perfect’ may be quite noticeable.
Lastly, some poached plants can also be much larger than their nursery grown counterparts, purely due to their age. Poachers target the older specimens, as these can be sold for a higher price. For example, if you see a very large cluster of Conophytum for sale at a low price, the odds are high that someone removed it from nature. If the offer seems too good to be true, then it generally is.
Examples of plants in nature vs cultivation
Below are two examples of plants in nature, a Gibbaeum dispar and Conophytum species, compared to similar species in cultivation. If these were seen in a nursery, they would be quite clear examples of poached plants. Note the large size, natural damage, dead or dying stems, and many years of shed leaves still attached to the plants. Most of these signs would not exist in well cultivated and cared for succulents. This is not to say that cultivated plants cannot be damaged on occasion, but the damage will be different to that sustained in nature.
Gibbaeum dispar in nature
Conophytum species in nature
Gibbaeum heathii in cultivation
Conophytum minutum in cultivation
The species of plants
A few specific species of plants are poached particularly often. While you donβt have to avoid buying them completely, you should take care to purchase certain species only at reputable nurseries.
Per a study from TRAFFIC (Trade Records Analysis of Flora and Fauna in Commerce, 2024), the main categories of plants under threat are dwarf succulents, geophytes, and caudiciform plants. More specifically, the spotlight currently sits on the genus Conophytum as the most heavily poached group of plants in South Africa. However, poachers also target rare Euphorbia, Lithops, and all local caudiciform species like Avonia, Dioscorea, and Pachypodium. Certain slow-growing bulbs like Eriospermum are also starting to come under threat, and so are Clivia. Essentially, anything arid growing or ‘water-wise’ will face illegal harvesting.
Poachers target not only South African species, but also plants from the United States, Mexico, Madagascar, and Asia. Ariocarpus, Lophophora, Copiapoa, Dudleya, and Stephania are all heavily targeted.
Recognizing reputable nurseries
An ethical, reputable nursery always registers with its local conservation authority. In the Western Cape, CapeNature is responsible for monitoring the trade in fauna and flora. All nurseries that sell indigenous plants in this province will need a permit from CapeNature to do so, and you can request one from the nursery.
A good nursery will happily show you their propagations or seedlings to prove that they have grown their plants in cultivation. This process is also known as artificial propagation. Additionally, if they are able to share good information about how to care for the plant, and their knowledge of the species is sound, then they have likely been legally growing that plant for some time.
However, if a nursery offers extra-large plants at surprisingly low prices, it is a sure sign that someone illegally acquired the plants. Reputable nurseries would hold on to old, mature plants in order to produce seed or obtain offshoots. It does not make sense to a good nursery to sell off a plant like this, as the plant’s seed production capacity has far more value than the its direct monetary worth. Also, be careful of nurseries located near the plants’ natural habitats, but you should also be wary of online marketplaces. There are unfortunately some Facebook Pages and WhatsApp groups that offer illegally harvested succulents.
Do your part
It is ultimately up to the consumer, plant collectors like all of us, to take the higher moral road and learn how to avoid buying illegally harvested succulents. Instead, encourage conservation through propagation, and only support reputable nurseries. As it stands, the poaching crisis is rapidly transforming into an extinction crisis, and will mean the permanent loss of South Africa’s natural heritage.
Written by Harry Lewis, succulent specialist & conservationist