The Cactus Hunters: Desire and Extinction in the Illicit Succulent Trade

by Jared D. Margulies

An exploration of the explosive illegal trade in succulents and the passion that drives it
Cacti and succulents are phenomenally popular worldwide among plant enthusiasts, despite being among the world’s most threatened species. The fervor driving the illegal trade in succulents might also be driving some species to extinction. Delving into the strange world of succulent collecting, The Cactus Hunters takes us to the heart of this the mystery of how and why ardent lovers of these plants engage in their illicit trade. This is a world of alluring desires, where collectors and conservationists alike are animated by passions that at times exceed the limits of law.    What inspires the desire for a plant? What kind of satisfaction does it promise? The answer, Jared D. Margulies suspects, might be traced through the roots and workings of the illegal succulent trade—an exploration that traverses the fields of botany and criminology, political ecology and human geography, and psychoanalysis. His globe-spanning inquiry leads Margulies from a spectacular series of succulent heists on a small island off the coast of Mexico to California law enforcement agents infiltrating a smuggling ring in South Korea, from scientists racing to discover new and rare species before poachers find them to a notorious Czech “cacto-explorer” who helped turn a landlocked European country into the epicenter of the illegal succulent trade.    A heady blend of international intrigue, social theory, botanical lore, and ecological study, The Cactus Hunters offers complex insight into species extinction, conservation, and more-than-human care.     Retail e-book files for this title are screen-reader friendly with images accompanied by short alt text and/or extended descriptions.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Science, True Crime, Plants, Natural History

392 pages, Paperback

First published November 14, 2023

About the author

Jared Margulies is assistant professor in the Department of Geography and the Environment at the University of Alabama. The Cactus Hunters is his first book. He lives in Birmingham, Alabama with an always growing gathering of plants.

Reviews

[Stitching Ghost · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book covers a lot of stuff and offers interesting reflections, but its tone is dry and it contains a lot of jargony words (particularly in the parts that focus on the psychoanalytic side of things) which gets frustrating at times, especially when Margulies lets some personality slip into the text and you realize that he is capable of writing in a compelling way. If you can get past that it's a sprawling account of what makes the succulent trade what it is from conservation efforts to collectors to historical factors. The part about Czech collectors was particularly charming and unexpected (at least for a planty person who isn't into succulents at all it was) and I would happily recommend this book on account of that part.

Many thanks to the University of Minnesota Press and Netgalley for providing me an eARC of this book for review consideration.

[Tina · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Cactus Hunters by Jared D. Margulies #dnf #arc

This book is theoretically about the illegal trade of succulents. I didn’t get that far. I don’t like not finishing a book that I was given to review. But this one started off so bizarrely that I couldn’t keep on. I gave it 20% and this is not a small book.

It begins explaining how the author became invested in the subject, but then it quickly diverts to Lacanian Psychoanalysis. He says:
“This book is a political ecology of desire, and as such, I conceptualize the production of desire as a framework for psychoanalytic political ecologies.” Every sentence is like that. He goes on to describe jouissance, “this aching kind of pleasure brought about in the failure to obtain satisfaction” which is interesting enough, but then doesn’t actually get to the point in linking that concept to the cactus hunters. At least not in the first 75 pages. The author would reference a story that sounded interesting but then say he would discuss it in chapter 7. He did this several times in the part that I got through.

I gave up. There was barely any discussion about cacti or the hunters by this point, and I was bored. I adore a good microhistory or nonfiction book, but this wasn’t it. I need a book to hook me sooner than this. There may have been a good payoff later but I wasn’t willing to stick it out.

Thank you to @netgalley and @uminnpress for the advance copy. (Pub date 11/14/23)

[Kai · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll have a lot to say about this book in print at some point in the future. suffice to say it is both as compelling as the title suggests, and somehow still full of unexpected situations, weird people, and bizarrely ironic attempts to save-by-killing than you might expect. very readable to boot!

[Benji · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting nonfiction book about succulent collecting and its environmental impact. This book was fascinating when it focused on the author’s interviews with collectors, law enforcement, and owners of succulent greenhouses as well as trips to see plants in habitat. A lot of the book focused on psycho-analyzing what motivates people to collect, why certain things are more likely to attain value in collector circles, and how extinction inspires anxiety. I think the book got a bit lost in the sauce with some of the psychology, it took on a very dry, academic tone and got more abstract than I preferred.

[Cass · Rating 5 out of 5]

The summary is what really drew me in and led to me requesting this book through Netgalley. As someone who is an avid collector of house plants (but not many succulents/cacti), the illegal succulent trade is not a topic I had ever heard of before. It gave a whole new perspective on this hobby of mine, and what it means to collect and the desire behind it.
What I liked most about this book is the way it made me think, which is not what I was expecting when I first started it. What I was expecting was to learn about a brand new topic, but I got so much more out of this book. Especially as someone who works in the field of conservation, and can understand the perspective of the conservationists interviewed in this book. However, it also introduced the new perspective of succulent collectors and made me view some aspects of my job in another light.
Overall, this book was both educational and insightful. I would definitely recommend it to a friend.

Thank you to Netgalley and the University of Minnesota Press for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

[Tom VanDerPuy · Rating 1 out of 5]

An amazing example of modern faux-intellectualism! The word salads that the author produces have been cleverly crafted to check every box of "the message" from the evils of capitalism to race, to those dastardly white men, to queer studies (yes, in a frigging cactus book), to climate change (mentioned 3 times in 2 pages).

Though most of the book is surely thoroughly plagiarized - Harvard style - he will nonetheless manage to convince a certain subset of readers that this garbage mishmash of Godless nihilistic pleading to the high priests of his replacement religion is actually meaningful and will withstand the next ten seconds of phase shift to whatever foulness is the next cause celebre of the annointed.

[Chris L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought I was going to read about the history of cacti but instead I got a fascinating look at the illegal succulent trade. Jared Margulies details the whole succulent trading, and what these collectors are looking for in the succulents they illegally trade. Who knew there was a succulent smuggling ring in South Korea for example? This book was a real treat, and I would recommend it for everyone. You don't have to be a lover of cacti to appreciate the book. Margulies's writing and story are compelling for everyone.

[Cana McGhee · Rating 4 out of 5]

i really loved this!! the book engages with a robust variety of scholarship (true to what political ecology does well) from animal studies, affect theory, extinction studies, and more to discuss how and why succulents are valued by human collectors, poachers, and conservationists. sometimes the Lacanian theorizing comes in at inopportune moments that break up the narrative, but it still did not take away from the really powerful ethnography. well written, if not a smidge long. excited for what he will do next!

[Cade]

This would have been great, but it is FAR too academic. The author would have done better to follow the example of the Orchid Thief.

[Rachaelbookhunter]

The Cactus Hunters explored the explosive illicit trade in succulents and the passion that drives it. It goes deeply into the psychology behind the succulent craze.

Succulents are extremely popular but most people probably don't know how popular. The enormity of the illegal sale and trade of plants that many haven't even heard of is very interesting. The book attempts to give an in depth, behind the scenes look at this.

It's clear the author did a lot of research. He traveled and met with people who have knowledge about the succulent trade. The problem is that more information is needed on succulents first before the average reader can begin to understand. There isn't much information given in succulents and cacti themselves in this book so we are left with pages and pages of the psychology behind the desire to collect. That is a lot to take in and is written in a dry manner. It was hard to hold interest even when the book talks about the traders. I feel like the overwhelming focus on the psychology to see why these people do what they do didn't lead me to learn what I was hoping.

[Zoë · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was super interesting! I recognise that this book is in many, specific ways right up my alley but I‘d still generally recommend it (to anyone who reads the title and thinks „yeah, that sounds interesting“). I thought that Margulies‘ narrative voice was engaging and he‘s clearly talking about something that engages and interests him a lot and I imagine it would be difficult to not be swept along. I also think that including such a strong focus on psychonalysis is not only unusual (though justified as he explains it) and fascinating but also inspiring (as someone who is combining literary studies with aspects of biology). The framework of this seems to me carefully chosen and competently implemented; the only thing that threw me off was his usage of „the Other“ as something aspirational instead of an uncanny threat (that might be literary sciences speaking, though and I‘m personally not a psychoanalyst so I can’t speak for the theory he presents to justify his other Other).

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure exactly what I was getting into with Cactus Hunters, but it was a fun ride. Margulies does a great job using both interviews and research to keep the reader engaged. I personally found the section on Czech collectors fascinating.

[Abhishek Kona · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book starts by connecting abstract philosophy of Desire and how it connects to collecting cactus.
I think I flipped out at that introduction. Yes everything can be explained as outward reaction to deep seated human needs. Yes philosophy is the root of things, but that is the weak ass opening as any.

That is like saying every wikipedia page leads to philosohpy.
I got put off so hard.

As a cactus gardner, I dont know man I think they are cool and its fun. I dont think there is a book worth of it to read here though.

[Randal White · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an avid gardener, I love learning about species of plants that are somewhat unfamiliar to me. So when I saw this book offered on NetGalley, I jumped on the chance to read it. I had absolutely no idea that there is an illegal trade in, of all things, cactus! I found the book to be very informative. The author's research is deep and well described. It's an interesting read, although at times a bit hard to understand all of the scientific writing. It made me think.

[jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I first started reading this book I immediately thought of "tulip fever" by Deborah moggach with the Dutch fascination with tulip bulbs, but, for me, this book was sadly a bit dull and I found it difficult to engage with. I can appreciate the writer's obsession but I'm not sure they were able to share it in their writing.
Thank you to netgalley and University of minnesota press for an advance copy of this book

[Jammin Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this an interesting book about succulents. I had no idea that they were considered such a desirable and limited resource. I am a big conservationist and hope that this book will help succulents succeed. I want to thank the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for giving me an e-copy of this book, in return for an honest review.

[Sylvia Barker · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was definitely intriguing. I had no idea that there was an illegal succulent trade. Honestly, who knew? Very interesting read for a plant lover.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Victoria Robison · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book has a lot of interesting and thought-provoking ideas. Unfortunately, a lot of it is inscrutable (and frankly insufferable) due to academic writing. The final chapter about future directions is quite disappointing. Still, I'm glad I read the book.

[Emma Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting review of cacti collecting but could have been much shorter, lots of psychoanalysis of collectors behaviour.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Page turner! Helpful beacon for locating self, plant relations, desire in research. I talked so many people about this book as I was reading it!!!

[Bearly Reading · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book would make a great gift for someone you don't like.

[Kayla · Rating 1 out of 5]

Recommended for fans of Lacanian psychoanalysis. If you just want to read about cacti, this is a miss. About half the book is abstruse academic rambling about the nature of desire.

Example sentence: "Attention to these power-laden dynamics unmasks the archetype of Robin Hood as an instantiation of the settler-colonial mindset that reproduces the conditions in thought and action necessary for the objectification of non-human life."

Besides the jargon, the author often misuses words ("resignment" for "resignation" and "desirous" for "desirable") and he never misses an opportunity to take a childish jab at "capitalism," which is apparently the source of all human vice. On the plus side, the audiobook reader, Walter Dixon, does a great job making masses of incomprehensible jargon sound interesting.

[Mike · Rating 1 out of 5]

‘Bridging a history of Czech cactus collecting with a Lacanian theory of desire and the unconscious points toward more-than-human as a term that indexes not only the ecologies in which humans exist but how ‘to be’ human is always composed through relations with nonhuman others’ If this kind of sentence thrills you with the desire to read more – many, many more – such sentences, then this is just the book for you.
From my point of view, there is way too much introspection and psychoanalysis and far too few cacti.
The author has definitely done his legwork, recording his travels to Brazil, Mexico, the Czech Republic and Korea. In fact, these are the only sections of the text that begin to come alive as Margulies almost forgets to lard his sentences with the usual pseudo-intellectual word salad. Some of these passages are worth a star.